The Return
by fandomqueen51
Summary: The year is 2017, and King Arthur is back. He finds Merlin- who comes with a couple surprises- and tries to understand how modern day life works. But with Arthur's return came the forces of evil rising again. Will Arthur triumph over evil? Or will events play out as they did once before? This is the story of The Once and Future King.
1. Prolouge

_No young man, no matter how great, can know his destiny. He cannot glimpse his part in the great story that is about to unfold. Like everyone, he must live and learn. For in a time of myth and a land of magic the destiny of a great kingdom rested on the shoulders of a young man. His name… Merlin._

There was water in his nose, entering his lungs and making his throat constrict. He opened his eyes and was met by the blurriness that comes with being underwater. His eyes stung as water rushed into them. He swung his arms down – when did they rise up? – and felt his body move upwards. He swung his arms again and floated upward even further. But something was holding him back. Some instinct deep in his mind was telling him that he should be moving faster than he was. His lungs were starting to burn. How long had he been underwater? He needed air now. He reached with his feet and felt loose sand beneath him. He pushed up from the ground, using all his might to reach the surface. His eyesight was starting to dim. He needed air now.

As he made his way to the surface of the lake or river or wherever it was he had been in, memories started to make their way back to him. Memories of a time that fills him with warmth he cannot yet explain. Memories that made him smile and laugh regardless of the water that swarms into his mouth, sending him choking. Memories flooded his mind faster and faster every passing second.

"Do I know you?"

"I'm Merlin."

"So I don't know you."

"No."

"Yet you called me _friend_."

"Yeah that was my mistake…. I'd never have a friend who could be such an ass."

Memory by memory passed quicker than Arthur's mind could keep up. Arthur? That's your name, clotpole, his head told him.

"I warn you, I've been trained to kill since birth."

"And how long have you been training to be a prat?"

Arthur swam quicker, his vision getting even dimmer.

"I'm happy to be your servant. 'Till the day I die."

"There's something about you, Merlin. I can't quite put my finger on it."

Merlin? Who's Merlin?

Your best friend, his brain whispered to him.

The memories increased speed the closer he got to the surface of the water. Which was good, because Arthur's brain surely wasn't working by this point.

"I care a hell of a lot about that armor; I'm not going to let you mess it up."

"I said distract them, not knock them out!"

"There's just no pleasing you sometimes."

"If I don't know where we're going, how do I know what to pack? Will it be hot or cold? Will it be wet or dry?"

"You have to believe, Arthur. You are destined to be Albion's greatest king. Nothing, not even this stone can stand in your way. Have faith."

"You came back to look for me."

"Alright, it's true. I came back because you're the only friend I have, and I couldn't bear to lose you."

It's almost as if some magic in the water needed Arthur to have his memories before he broke the surface of the water. All of Arthur's memories came back to him in a flash as his head crashed through the top of the water. It was almost painful, as the rest of his memories came back, too fast to process. He opened his mouth and sucked in great gulping gasps of air.

Gasping like a fish out of water, Arthur floated for a moment, finally calm. Finally at peace. He didn't know how he got there, at the bottom of a lake, he discovered, as his eyes roamed around. On one bank of the lake Arthur saw what appeared, to him, to be an old run down church, something he recognized from his time in Camelot, when Christianity was just starting to sweep through the Five Kingdoms.

On the other bank was a forest. But not a forest like Arthur remembered. This forest was small, and the trees were different. There were flowers too. Types of flowers that he had never seen before - not that Arthur had paid any attention to flowers during his time as Prince - and later - King of Camelot.

Arthur noticed that there was what appeared to be a walking path leading through the forest. He would use that to try and find his way back to Camelot and to civilization. He would worry about how long he's been gone later.

Arthur started to swim toward to shore, toward the walking path, but he was stopped by a sharp, stabbing pain in his side. He looked down and saw the armor on his side was stained with dried blood. His blood. His blood that came from a wound in his side. A fatal wound, Arthur knew. He should be dead. So why wasn't he still?

Arthur remembered. Oh God, did he remember. He remembered the Battle at Camlann. He remembered fighting Mordred and being stabbed and then killing his once-knight. He also remembered Merlin's tearful expression as he confessed to Arthur about his secret – his magic – not long after that. Arthur remembered his behavior to Merlin after that moment. He regretted acting that way, he really did. He wishes he could somehow make it up to Merlin.

Merlin. Arthur would need to find him, and soon. Something told Arthur that he was far away from Camelot. But that same something also told him that Merlin was close by. Arthur now had the task of finding him.

Arthur set off swimming again, ignoring the pain in his side and ignoring how his armor dragged him down. He would take it off as soon as he got to the shore.

Soon enough Arthur reached the shore and collapsed heavily on the warm sand. He panted and soaked up the warm sun beating down on his face, drying the water on him. It felt like it had been so long since he has felt the warmth of the sun on his face. Arthur took a deep breath and pushed himself to his feet. He unbuckled the cape from around his shoulder, unsure of how it got there. Arthur was positive that he hadn't been wearing a cape when he… when he died. Arthur could barely even think the word. He assumed Merlin put it on him when he was buried. Arthur slowly took off the rest of his armor and piled it on the shore of the lake. Then he splashed water on his face and took a drink. He took a deep breath and turned to the forest. Without a second thought, or a glance back, Arthur plunged into the forest and started following the path.

He never noticed the young boy who stepped out from the shadow of the church.

"Some men are born to plough fields, some live to be great physicians, others to be great kings. Me? I was born to serve you, Arthur. And I'm proud of that. And I wouldn't change a thing…"


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey y'all! In case any of you didn't read our bio, I'm calling myself EmrysAmbrosius and me and fandomqueen51 are sharing this account now. We'll be collaborating together and publishing together as well as separately. I just wanted to say that if any of y'all find any errors in my writing please tell me so I can fix it. And as always I want to know if there's any way I can improve on my writing.**

Chapter 1

Arthur was lost. Really, truly, horribly lost. The forest was not the one he remembered, so he liked to think that there was no shame in his being lost. He had started on the path leading into the forest and before long, the path split and Arthur, obviously, had taken the wrong path. He had tried to back up, to find his way back to the lake and start again, but every time he did so, it looked as if the forest had rearranged itself. But that was crazy right? Arthur thought so. There was no way the forest could reorder itself.

Unless magic is being used, the voice in his head told him. It sounded suspiciously like his father's.

Go away, he told it. I don't need you.

The truth of the matter was that Arthur was still wary of magic. Sure, Merlin had proved to him that not all sorcerers are bad. And yes, Merlin had apparently saved his life numerous times with the aid of magic. Merlin is still just one man. One man cannot make up for the actions of hundreds. Arthur was willing to learn about magic, to ask the Druids for help. He was willing to let Merlin show him spells and enchantments, to give him time to prove magic isn't evil. And who knows, maybe one day he will allow magic back into Camelot. That would put a smile on Merlin's face, Arthur thought. But that does not mean he still doesn't have a deep distrust of magic, rooted in almost 25 years of pain and death.

"Hey!" Arthur heard a shout from behind him. "Hey you!"

Arthur spun around with battle fast instincts. He reached for his sword but came up short when he realized it wasn't there. Where is it and why had he not noticed it was missing before?

Arthur scanned the forest for the source of the shout. He couldn't see anything. Or anyone. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. But no, out of the corner of his eye Arthur saw a flash of movement from behind a tree. He ran toward the person, for it was obviously a person, what else could talk, expecting to be able to easily knock it down. What Arthur did not expect however, was for the person to take off running at a sprint. Arthur took off after him. He chased the man through the forest, off the path by now, ignoring the branches that ripped his clothes and cut his hands and face.

Soon enough Arthur began to tire, but he pushed himself on. He could not lose sight of the one thing that could lead him home. Arthur forced himself to run faster. Ahead of him, the man tripped over a tree root and Arthur used it to his advantage. He sped up even more and tackled the man as he was getting up. They both went crashing to the ground in a graceless lump. Arthur's breath was knocked out of him. Judging by the whoosh that came from underneath him, the man had lost his breath too.

Arthur took this time to survey the man under him. The closer he looked the more he realized the man is more like a boy. His face still holds some of the roundness of childhood, but the boy is obviously on his way to becoming a man. The boy's eyes were closed and Arthur could already see a bruise forming on his forehead. He must have hit his head when Arthur tackled him. Arthur tried not to feel too bad.

He rolled carefully off the boy, taking in his plain dark green shirt and his trousers, both made out a material that was foreign to Arthur. He had never seen or felt anything like it before. His shirt was not made out of silk, like Arthur's was, and it wasn't made of scratchy wool like the commoners. His trousers were not leather, but made of a rougher material that was blue in color. Arthur didn't even have a guess as to what it was.

Arthur shook the boy's shoulder, trying to wake him. The boy was unresponsive. Arthur shook him again, this time harder and was rewarded with his eyebrows crinkling. The boy groaned and blinked up at Arthur. The boy sat up quickly and scooted away from Arthur and backed up against a tree. He must have quickly decided Arthur wasn't a threat to him because he didn't try to run. He just sat against the tree trunk and blinked at Arthur. Arthur blinked right back and took these few moments to study the boy quietly.

There was something about him that Arthur couldn't quite put his finger on.

He had a head of light brown curly hair, much like Arthur remembered Leon's being. He was lanky and had pale skin. Arthur noticed his eyes were two different colors, which unnerved him. One eye was blue and the other was brown. When he was a child, Arthur recalled, he remembered his nurses telling him to beware of men who had different colored eyes. Something about them being sorcerers or bringing bad luck to the kingdom.

Arthur looked up and noticed the boy staring at him. His gaze was unsettling. "Who are you?" Arthur asked harshly.

"Don't see why I should tell you, mate," the boy answered. Arthur noticed his accent was very rough and throaty. He had never heard anything like that before. It took him for surprise. "Why don't you tell me your name and maybe I'll tell you mine," the boy compromised.

Arthur realized to get something out of the boy he'd have to give something first. "I'm… Arthur," he said, careful not to give away anything that could incriminate him. "Do you know where we are?" he asked.

"I'm Ciaran, thanks for asking," the boy muttered sarcastically. "And as to where we are, well, ain't it obvious? We're in the middle of nowhere."

Arthur sighed. He was getting increasingly worried. "Can you give me a straight answer?" he snapped.

Ciaran put his hand to his head and pulled it away. It came away wet with blood. Ciaran looked incredulously at Arthur. "You made me bleed, mate. What the hell?"

"Stop calling me _mate_ ," Arthur hissed. "I am not your friend." I am your king, he added in his head. "Just show me the way to the nearest village."

Ciaran stared. "Village?" he asked. "I don't know about any villages, but I was only joking with you. We're pretty close to London if it's the Tube you're looking for."

Arthur's eyebrows furrowed. "The Tube?" The unfamiliar words tasted strange in his mouth.

Ciaran opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the rustling of the trees. Arthur leapt to his feet and assumed a battle stance. He heard Ciaran stand up and wobble behind him. Arthur didn't know what was coming, but he needed to protect the boy so he could lead him back to Camelot.

"Ciaran!" called a girl's voice. "Ciaran, where are you?"

The boy melted behind Arthur. "It's just Reanna," he muttered. Arthur turned to look at him.

There was more rustling in the trees and Arthur turned around in time to see a young girl, probably around Ciaran's age step out of the tree line. She tripped over a tree root and fell down. Arthur, ever the gentleman, rushed forward to help her as Ciaran laughed. Arthur helped her up but she just waved him off with a muttered, "Don't bother, I'm fine." As she straightened, and Arthur got a good look at her, his breath was knocked out of his chest.

 _She looked just like Merlin._

Alright, there are some differences, Arthur will admit. She was a girl, for starts. As much as he might've stated otherwise, Arthur knew Merlin was not a girl. So obviously, this girl could not be Merlin. Another, key difference was that the girl, Reanna, Ciaran called her, had striking grey eyes. Hard and calculating, as opposed to Merlin's soft blue ones. But they had the same skin tone and cheekbones, and Reanna's hair is as dark as Merlin's, and falls down to her shoulders in soft messy curls. Arthur noticed she had streaks of dark red in her hair. He was unsure of how they got there and thank God - she did not seem to have Merlin's ears. This was a good thing, if she was in any way related to Merlin, which Arthur thought was possible, given how similar they look.

"Are you alright?" she asked Arthur. He gaped even more because her voice sounded like how Arthur remembered Hunith's being. He must have made a face because she laughed and smirked.

"Um… I… You….," Arthur stuttered. "I'm fine." He cleared his throat.

Ciaran laughed from behind him. "Oh, yeah," he said. "A real Keating we got here."

Reanna laughed. "Why are you bleeding?" she asked. If she was concerned at all for her friend, then she did a good job at hiding it, Arthur thought.

"I tripped." Ciaran waved it off.

Reanna narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, whatever," she said. To Arthur she said, "Come on. There's someone who wants to see you." She turned and walked back into the wood. Ciaran huffed and followed her, muttering about bossy girls. Arthur stood for a moment, debating about whether he should follow them or not. He decided, in the end, to follow them, because, as odd as they are, they could lead him back to Camelot. And, Reanna had said someone wanted to see him. Something about her told Arthur that she meant him no harm. Ciaran on the other hand – that same something told Arthur he would have no problem with hurting the king.

"Are you coming?" Reanna's voice called.

"Er – yeah," Arthur called. He scrambled to follow them through the woods.

After a while of walking through the forest, Arthur, Ciaran and Reanna came to a large house in a clearing. Arthur stopped in his tracks. The house looked so… _odd._ That was the only word Arthur could use to describe it. There was a small stone hut at the west side of the house. Connected to it was a larger ramshackle wooden house. It looked like it was falling apart. Next to that and connected by a metal bridge was a large house that was paneled in blue wood. It reminded Arthur of some lords' homes with how big it was.

Reanna and Ciaran led the way to the front of the building. They led Arthur up some steps and into the house. The inside was just as odd as the outside, at least to Arthur it was. Reanna and Ciaran seemed to not take of notice of it. Of course not, Arthur told himself, it seems as like they grew up here.

The entry was paneled in wood, the color of the trees in the forest outside of Camelot. There was a rug that was leading from the door into the main room. Arthur recognized the pattern as being from the Arabian Peninsula. He had seen similar patterns in gifts that the leaders of those kingdoms had given his father and later him. Arthur continued into the main room, following Reanna into the room as Ciaran deviated down another hallway.

"Where are you leading me?" Arthur asked, taking in the elephant statue that stood in an alcove.

"To your other half, of course," Reanna answered cheekily. Arthur stared at her in confusion.

"What?" Arthur was incredibly confused.

Reanna sighed. "Just wait. You'll be surprised, trust me."

They came to a door and Reanna pushed it open. She held it open for Arthur, who walked through and stopped dead in his tracks. Standing in front of a large altar-like podium was a tall, lanky man. From the back he could have been mistaken for anyone, but the man's ears – Arthur would recognize them anywhere.

The man was Merlin.


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey y'all! I'll try to keep this short. In this chapter Arthur learns a little of the fate of Camelot after his death. I've taken some liberties with what happened. I'm trying to use actual history of the Arthurian legend and actual Dark Age history mixed with what I think happened. So don't flame, please! I'm trying to make it as good as it can be. And sorry for taking a while to publish, I've been swamped with so many projects and so much homework! And as always please review! I love hearing all y'all's thoughts. And if any of you have ideas for me please tell so I can avoid writer's block, which I get way too often. I'll try to include your ideas if they'll keep with the flow of my story. OK, I'll stop rambling now. Read on and enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 2

"Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed. Merlin gasped and turned around.

"Arthur?" he whispered. "Is it you? Is this real?" His eyes filled with tears and he raised his hands to cover his mouth. In Arthur's eyes he looked slightly pitiful and Arthur almost cried at the sight. Arthur stepped forward and pulled Merlin into a tight embrace.

"Is this real enough for you, Merlin?" he whispered into Merlin's hair.

Merlin gasped, "Yes," before dissolving into a gasping, sobbing mess. Out of the corner of his eye Arthur saw Reanna leave the room. She had a small smile on her face. Arthur let his own tears come and cried silently.

After a while, Merlin raised his head. His eyes were red-rimmed and his cheeks were wet. Arthur was sure he looked the same. He pulled back and held Merlin at arm's length. "Well, _Mer_ lin," he said, teasing, "you've changed."

And he had. Arthur remembered Merlin having short hair, but now his hair fell in a way that more closely resembled Gwaine's. His clothing was different too. Where blues and reds and brown used to be now was black and the same blue trousers that Ciaran was wearing. Arthur still had no idea what the material was.

"I see you haven't," Merlin retorted. "Still as fat as you were befo…" he trailed off. His eyes filled with tears again. Arthur scrambled to console him, seeing where this was going.

"No no no," he said. "Don't think like that, Merlin. I'm here now. It's not like before. I'm not going anywhere, not this time. I'm here to stay. I won't leave you. You're not alone."

Merlin took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. "I just can't believe it's you, Arthur. I've waited so long for you to come back, I just," his voice broke. "I just can't believe it's you," he continued raggedly.

Arthur smiled reassuringly. "Well, it is me, and I'm not going anywhere, Merlin. You can count on that." Merlin smiled at him and Arthur smiled back. Something Merlin said came back to him. "Wait – what do you mean you've waited so long? How long was I dead?"

Merlin flinched. "It doesn't really matter, Arthur. What matters is that you're back now."

"Merlin…"

Merlin sighed. "You may want to sit down."

"I'm fine."

"Fifteen hundred years."

Arthur stopped breathing. "What?" he gasped.

"Arthur, I'm sorry," Merlin said. "I didn't think it would have taken this long."

Arthur stared. "What do you mean?" he gasped.

"Fifteen hundred years, Arthur," Merlin stressed. "There have been so many desolate times. So many instances where I thought, 'Now is the time. Arthur has to come back now. It's the worst it's ever been' and you never showed up. When the Saxons attacked and Camelot fell, you didn't show. When conquerors from France and Germany came to Albion centuries later you didn't come back. The Romans attacked, you didn't come. All these wars, famines, persecutions…. Each time worse than the last and _you didn't come back._ World War I, World War II; millions killed in a mass genocide. How could it get worse than that? And now you're back and I'm scared, Arthur. I'm scared because how much worse will it get than it has before?" Merlin finished his speech.

Arthur was flabbergasted. Camelot fell? When? How? And how long after he died? And what does Merlin mean about wars and persecutions? Where have the standards he instilled in his people gone? Does humanity not have any decency left?

"How did Camelot fall? What of Guinevere?" Arthur needed to know and prepared himself for the worst.

"Arthur…" Merlin sounded apprehensive.

"Tell me, Merlin," he said. "I need to know."

Merlin sighed. "Guinevere was the last Pendragon ruler of Camelot."

Arthur was scared to ask. "Did she not remarry? Did she die childless?"

Merlin shook his head. "No, she did not remarry, but Arthur she didn't die childless."

"What do you mean?"

Merlin blushed. "I'm assuming – correct me if I'm wrong – that you and Gwen, um, shared a bed before the battle?"

Arthur blushed as well. He and Merlin had talked of this act before, of course, as young men are wont to do. But he had never discussed his… intimate life with Merlin concerning Gwen. Arthur knew that Merlin knew he and Gwen had done it before. After all, Merlin was responsible for stripping the bed the next day. But Arthur had never said anything and Merlin had never asked.

He cleared his throat. "Yes," he said shortly.

"Well, that night," Merlin hurried on, "Gwen became pregnant. It was months after you died that she even began to suspect. She didn't have to worry about marrying now that she had an heir on the way, provided the child survived. And there was no doubt to the people that this child was yours, not after he was born."

Arthur took a step back. "A son?" he asked roughly. "I had a son?"

Merlin smiled gently. "Yes, Arthur," he said quietly. "And quite a strapping young lad he was, or so I heard."

Arthur's brow furrowed. "You heard? Were you not there?"

Merlin's eyes widened. "I was," he rushed to say, "but not for long. I helped Gwen throughout her pregnancy. It was a hard one – and I used my magic to help her. Gaius told her of my magic when he got back to Camelot, but I think she knew even before that. Anyway, she got really sick about halfway through and I saved her and the child. It was the best healing magic I've ever been able to do." Merlin was rambling now. Arthur knew he was nervous. He had to get the warlock back on track.

"You said you weren't there, Merlin," Arthur reminded him. "Why not?"

Merlin hesitated before continuing where he left off. Arthur rolled his eyes internally. "I stayed for the rest of her pregnancy and for a few years after too. I was there when she gave birth, Arthur because Gaius was too old himself to attend. Arthur, he looked just like you. Especially in the years following his birth. He had your hair and nose and Gwen's eyes and he acted just like you. The people fell in love with him. And Arthur, you would've been so proud."

Arthur felt tears rise to his eyes. "I know I would have," he said thickly. "But that doesn't explain why you left." And if he put a little accusation into his words who was there to judge?

"It just got too painful," Merlin gasped. "Seeing him, seeing your boy, he reminded me too much of you and eventually I couldn't take it. By this point Gaius had passed and Camelot had gotten herself a new physician. There was peace, Arthur, true peace. Just like you wanted. And people were prosperous and happy. But I wasn't. So I said my goodbyes and left. I went back to Ealdor. I worked as a farmer and physician. I didn't use magic. The people in my village were still wary of it. Two years after I got there my mother died. She had the fever. So I left and traveled. Never staying in one place for long. I would heal people, maybe talk to the Druids in the area, but my life wasn't amounting to much. I knew where I needed to be. The very place I was trying to escape. So I went back to Camelot. I arrived with much fanfare; the villagers recognized me. Then Gwen came out and she looked the exact same, except with more gray in her hair and a few more wrinkles. It had, after all, been ten years. Then your son came out and I was amazed at how much he had grown. He was a knight now – Leon had knighted him. He was only 15 and already he was the best fighter in all of Albion. So much like you were."

"I wish I could've seen him," Arthur said wistfully. "What was his name?"

"He was called Llewellyn Arthur, after you. I had some sketches of him that artists did," Merlin said, "but they've become lost in all my stuff. I'll try and find them for you later. Anyway, I was there not even six months before the Saxons attacked. They made their way through the kingdom, taking out small villages and towns before reaching Camelot. When they attacked it was pure carnage. They had no reason for attacking. They did just because they wanted to."

Arthur couldn't believe it. His people were slaughtered by these animals. "What kind of people would just slaughter for the fun of it?"

Merlin looked sad. "These were horrible people Arthur, but they are not the worst that has been around. When they attacked, I used magic but there were too many of them. Percival was killed while fighting. As was Bedivere and Pedr and most of your knights. Leon and I smuggled Gwen and your son out of the citadel. We met up with some escaped knights in the forest and tried to take the kingdom back but it failed. Camelot had fallen. They tore down the citadel and burned the city. It's just ruins now. After, Leon, Gwen, Llewellyn, me and any remaining knights and commoners we found went to the sea and sailed to France – it was then called Gaul – where we made new lives for ourselves. There were less than fifty of us and very few women and children. The women and children, Guinevere included, went to a nunnery. They stayed there until the rest of us found suitable living arrangements. We stayed in Gaul for the rest of their lives."

"My people," Arthur whispered. "Were they happy?"

"As happy as they could be, yes." Arthur knew that was the best answer he was going to get. So he took it all in stride and moved on to his next question.

"How are you still alive and how did you know where to find me?" he asked. "I'm assuming you sent Ciaran and Reanna to find me?"

Merlin smirked, but his eyes were sad. "You're smarter than you look," he joked. "But yes, I sent them to find you."

"Why?" Arthur was curious. "Why did you not come yourself?"

Merlin sighed. "I wanted to, Arthur, so bad. But I didn't know exactly where you were. I knew you were back, I felt what little magic is left in the world start to congregate around this area. I knew in my heart that was you. But I kept telling myself that I was imagining things. If he hadn't come back before why would he come back now? Then Reanna had a vision -"

"She has magic?" Arthur interrupted.

"Yeah," Merlin answered. "She has strong magic and she's a seer, like Morgana was." Arthur said nothing so Merlin continued. "She came to me in the middle of the night about two days ago, frightened and in tears. Scared the crap out of me as well," Merlin chuckled. "When I asked her what was wrong she told me she had had a dream and that she had seen the return of Arthur. I've told them stories of Camelot and of you, so she knows what you look like. I was so desolate that I didn't believe her. I sent her back to bed before even hearing the rest of her story. I couldn't bear to. I regret that so much now." Merlin sounded so sad Arthur couldn't help but to comfort him.

"It's alright, Merlin," he said. "It doesn't matter that you didn't believe her then, what matters is that you believe her now."

Merlin shrugged. "Yeah, you're right. I need to apologize to her. I'll do it after we finish up here. This morning I felt an increase in the magic of the world. After humans stopped believing in magic –"

"They don't believe?" Arthur was shocked. "Why? Do they not know how important it is?"

"Arthur," Merlin sighed, "there's not one singular reason as to why people don't believe in magic anymore. Too many people put their faith in science to answer all their questions, whereas we consulted magic when science wasn't enough. What Gaius considered science was primitive compared to what we have now. Now magic is just an urban legend. Because of this, the magic of the earth is greatly diminished. For centuries, I have been the only being keeping the magic balance and it's exhausting. Now Reanna helps ground the magic and it takes some strain off me but I hate to put her through that. It's taxing on the body, Arthur and if not maintained properly can cause illness and extreme exhaustion and sometimes even death. It's not something I would wish on anyone."

"So why do it?" Arthur asked. "Why let yourself get sick? Why not just let magic run its course through the universe?"

"Because, Arthur." Merlin sounded exasperated. "The earth is woven of strands of magic. The magic is still there, it's just weak. Because I am magic, I have to keep the balance. So I can't just let it run its course through the universe like you think it would be so easy to do!" Merlin's voice had risen and he was almost shouting.

"Alright, Merlin," Arthur said slowly. He grabbed Merlin's shoulders and maneuvered him into a chair by the table. "Sit down and calm yourself. You're looking a bit pale. Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine," Merlin muttered. "Just it's all coming down on me. You, coming back, and Reanna's vision and now there's no kingdom for you and _Ciaran_ and –" Merlin cut himself off with a gasp. He started breathing quickly and Arthur looked around for something to help him calm Merlin down but everything he saw was foreign to him.

"Hey, Reanna? Ciaran?" he shouted. "I need some help!"

Arthur heard footsteps approaching. Reanna stepped into the room, followed by Ciaran. Reanna took one look at Merlin and rushed forward. She dropped to her knees in front of him. "Dad?" she said. "Dad answer me! Are you okay?"

Arthur's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to say something but Ciaran pulled on his sleeve. Arthur looked back and saw him jerk his to the door. Arthur got the hint and walked out behind the boy. Hopefully Reanna could take care of…. her father.

Arthur could barely think of Merlin and father in the same sentence. It was almost laughable. But obviously it happened, the voice told him.

"Mate," Ciaran said. "Just don't say anything," he warned.

Arthur's mouth opened and closed. Ciaran smirked at him. Arthur must look like a fish out of water. "What….How….Merlin's a father?" he said loudly. Ciaran shushed him.

"Yes," he whispered. "Didn't you notice the similarities between them?"

"Of course," Arthur answered. "But I didn't want to think about it. When I died Merlin still seemed like a child. And now he has a child of his own!"

"You can't deny that he's good with children," Ciaran said.

"No, I can't," Arthur conceded. "I remember whenever we would walk through the lower the children would stop their playing and would come hanging off him or beg him to play with them. Sometimes I'd let Merlin go, other times he would choose to stay. Later, after my father's death, the children would drag me with them. Sometimes the knights too, if we weren't out on patrol."

"Aren't children miracles?" Ciaran asked. "They'll never cease to surprise you."

"No, they won't," Arthur muttered distractedly. He was occupied by thoughts of Merlin and Reanna and thoughts of the son he never got to know.

"We need to change your clothes," Ciaran said. "And get you out of that armor."

"What do you mean? Is this attire not suitable?"

"For 2017?" Ciaran laughed. "No. If you went out, you would be laughed at and probably mugged. We need to get you some regular clothes."

"Shouldn't we take care of Merlin?" Arthur asked.

Ciaran waved it away. "Nah, Reanna's got him. He'll be fine. This has happened before." Before Arthur could ask what he meant by that, Ciaran had already turned around and started walking. Arthur reluctantly followed behind him, not quite sure he was doing the right thing. Honestly, Arthur was apprehensive about the new clothing styles. "Are you certain this is wise?" he called out to Ciaran as they climbed wooden stairs.

"Of course it is, mate!" the boy called back cheerfully.

"I'm absolutely positive I will look like a fool," Arthur said.

"You mean more than you already do?" Ciaran retorted.

"Are you sure you're not related to Merlin as well?" Arthur shot back. Ciaran just laughed.

"Don't worry," he said. "It'll take some getting used to, but trust me; these clothes will be much more comfortable."

"I hope you're right," Arthur muttered.

"Of course I am," Ciaran said cheekily. "I'm a genius!" Arthur didn't care enough to give him a response.

Ciaran led Arthur into what Arthur assumed was a bedroom. There was a bed; at least Arthur thought there was. It was hard to see anything under the layers of clothing strewn about the room. Ciaran walked in and started picking random piecing up and throwing them at Arthur.

"Ok," he said. "Get that armor off and try this stuff on. I'm assuming you know how to dress yourself."

Arthur growled. "You got that from Merlin," he said tightly.

"Yeah," Ciaran said with a smile. "I did."

"Whatever," Arthur muttered. This boy was so infuriating. "Let's just get this over with quickly."

* * *

 **Poor Arthur! He's a total boy, not wanting to try on clothes! What do y'all think of the Reanna twist? Was it enough of a twist or had you already guessed? So I have a question for y'all: If I were to include the show** _ **Merlin**_ **in this story in some way do y'all think that would be a good idea? I have some thoughts and ideas about it but I don't know how good they are. And please review! They give me life! Hope this lives up to your expectations.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Happy** _ **insert name of day you are reading this,**_ **y'all! I don't know if I like this chapter as much as the others, but I tried my best. I've been sick so I hope everything makes sense. I tend to not be able to English very well when sick ;) Also- thank y'all so much for reviewing. Hearing your thoughts make me smile.**

 **And I think I'm supposed to put one of these: I don't own** _ **Merlin.**_ **If I did, would I be writing fanfiction?**

Chapter 3

"So how did you come to live with Merlin?" Arthur asked as he pulled on a gray shirt. "And what is this material?"

"It's cotton," Ciaran replied from his place on a chair in the corner. "And it's a long sad story you don't want to hear. Put these pants on." Ciaran threw bright red fabric at Arthur. He held it up in scrutiny. The material was red and shiny, and had black stripes on the side.

"Why must we do this?" Arthur said as he walked behind Ciaran's dressing screen. Ciaran had told him that people rarely use them anymore. When Arthur asked why, Ciaran just shrugged and said, "Trends change," which really confused Arthur. Ciaran really was a riddle wrapped in a mystery.

"We need to make you look like a modern man," Ciaran said.

Arthur pulled on the pants and felt immediately exposed. The pants were more like…. shorts are what Arthur would call them. They went down to his knees and were very loose. Arthur didn't like them one bit. He stepped out from behind the screen.

"But why do I need to look modern?" Ciaran didn't bother to give him an answer. Arthur changed tactics.

"How did you and Reanna know where to find me?" he asked. "It seemed like you knew where you were going."

Ciaran hesitated before answering. "Reanna's a seer, Merlin told you that. She knew where to find you."

"But you found me first," Arthur stated.

Ciaran sighed. "Yeah, that was just a happy mistake. I was exploring an old church when I saw you come out of the lake. I didn't know who you were so I decided to follow you. Reanna found me in the woods and told me who she thought you were. It was all her, really."

Arthur hmmed. "How long have her dreams… visions been happening?" he asked.

"Only a few months. She'd have nightmares when we were children but they never amounted to anything. Merlin never suspected that her magic was incredibly strong until she set her room on fire."

"On fire!" Arthur echoed.

"Yeah… she was maybe five or six years old," Ciaran said. "Not a lot of magic control."

"It must be difficult," Arthur mused. "Having magic as a child, especially in a world which doesn't welcome it."

"Do you think it was any different for Merlin when he was growing up? And other magic users?" Arthur didn't say anything. He knew Ciaran was right.

"That'll be good for now," the boy said, getting up from his perch. "Merlin probably wants to see you, explain things."

Arthur sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Merlin does not need to explain himself to me. What he does is his own business. It's obvious I have missed so much."

"Suit yourself," Ciaran said as he walked out the door. "But you're insane if you aren't curious, mate. I know I would be."

"What of my armor?" Arthur called. It was just strewn about on the floor.

"Just leave it there," Ciaran shouted. "And come on! There's stuff I want to show you."

Arthur sighed and hurried out the door and into the hallway.

* * *

It was a week later that Merlin explained himself. Honestly Arthur wondered how he managed to wait that long. Of course Arthur was curious. How could he not be? His best friend has a child. Of course Arthur would want an explanation. But that didn't mean he was ready for one.

In the past week, with the help of Ciaran mainly, Arthur had learned what a refrigerator was, how to use a toilet, how to operate the shower and he learned not to talk to Reanna before she had had her morning espresso. Whatever the hell an espresso was. No one would tell Arthur. Something about not wanting him to get addicted, whatever that meant.

But what he wanted to know was the history. Since he died. History of the rise and fall of kingdoms. When kingdoms stopped appearing and this system called democracy was put in place. Not the history of Merlin's sex life. Ew, Arthur couldn't even think it without cringing. Not something he wants to think about.

But Merlin had other ideas.

Arthur was sitting on the couch in Merlin's sitting room watching something on what Reanna called a _television –_ a box that Reanna explained could show you something called a show, which is essentially a story in play form, over and over again. Reanna was making Arthur watch a show called Supernatural. Arthur understood nothing other than that the characters were brothers and the hunted ghosts and the like. Merlin had thought it would be a good way to get Arthur acquainted with the twenty first century.

Onscreen, the brothers were fighting. Arthur was enamored with analyzing their fighting styles, even though Reanna told him their fights were choreographed. Arthur was captivated enough that when Merlin sat down next to him he started.

"Sorry," Merlin said. "I thought you saw me coming."

"It's fine," Arthur said. "I was paying attention to the tely- tela-vision," he searched for the right word. "The box thing," he finished lamely. "Where'd Reanna go?" he asked as he noticed her absence.

"She's getting some breakfast," Merlin replied. "Ciaran's not up yet. Sorry for making you sleep on the couch. I know it's uncomfortable."

Arthur shrugged it off. "It's not that bad."

Merlin looked at him like he was crazy. "Arthur. I've slept on that couch before. I _know_ it's uncomfortable."

Arthur smiled tightly. "Really, Merlin, I'm fine. Is there something you needed?" he asked shortly.

Merlin looked taken aback, but didn't say anything. "I just wanted to explain about Reanna and Ciaran, Arthur."

"If you wanted to explain so badly why are you just doing it now?" Arthur knew he was being unfair. Arthur also knew that Merlin –

"I had to work, Arthur, you know that," Merlin said.

Arthur sighed. "Yes, I know. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said it like that. Explain away." Arthur was shocked when, two days after he came back, Merlin said he had to go to work. It had never occurred to Arthur that Merlin would have a job. He had just assumed he was a hermit. Oh how wrong he was.

Arthur was shocked Merlin had a job. He was even more shocked to know that Merlin was a doctor. And a children's doctor at that. Merlin told Arthur he was something called a pediatric oncologist. He then explained that he worked with really sick children, because of course Arthur didn't understand. Just like he doesn't understand most things in this new world. And of course he isn't bitter, not at all. Kings don't get bitter.

"Ciaran is descended from you, Arthur." Merlin was blunt in his statement.

Arthur's eyes bulged. "What?" he gasped.

"Ciaran is descended directly from your son," Merlin explained. "For over a thousand years I kept tabs on your descendants. I knew where they were and if their line continued or not. But in about the year 1620, I lost track of them. I was serving under King Louis XIII in France, as a physician, whenever your descendant William Bradford got on a ship and sailed to the New World, which is now the country of America. It took me about 20 years to track him down. I looked in country after country. It was difficult. But I eventually found him in the New World. So I settled in the Colonies. But I always had wards set up here that would alert me in case you came back." Merlin paused as if debating something. "I fought in the American Revolution. In an army, Arthur, aren't you proud?" Merlin gave him a wry smile. "It was about 1875 that I lost track of your descendants again. The Civil War had ended only a decade before. The Industrial Revolution was happening and many people were coming into America. Somewhere in the midst of all that, your descendant, Julia Meyer, boarded a ship back to Europe. She settled in the small country of Northern Ireland and her family has been there since."

"So you went to Northern Ireland?" Arthur asked.

"No," Merlin said, "I came back here, to England. There's not much distance between the two. I kept careful watch on her family and descendants. So when, in 2004, little Ciaran McAllister was orphaned, I decided to take him in. I already had Reanna, she was three. So I figured it wouldn't be that hard to take care of another child. I posed as his uncle – and this is something I'm not entirely proud about – and used magic to get the certificate written in my favor."

"That…. sounds illegal, Merlin." Arthur raised an eyebrow in what he hoped was a Gaius-like fashion.

Merlin at least had the decency to look sheepish. "It was," he admitted. "But I didn't want him in foster care. It can sometimes be a bad place and I knew I could provide a better home for him. So I did."

Arthur took this all in and shook his head. He let out a slow breath. "Good Lord, Merlin," he said. "That's a lot to take in."

"Any questions?" Merlin offered.

Arthur thought. He had so many questions, about the world, about Merlin, about his life, but Arthur knew he had to prioritize. "Where's America?" he finally asked.

Merlin's shoulders sagged, in relief or disappointment, Arthur did not know, but he got up off the couch and beckoned Arthur to follow him. Merlin led him down a cramped, wooden, mildewed hallway and into an office. It was furnished with a wooden desk and a few comfortable-looking chairs. There were large cabinets along the back wall, underneath a large window. It was to these cabinets that Merlin went. He sorted through one of them as Arthur went over to the window to pull back the thick, red curtain. He sneezed as dust flew up his nose. Merlin snickered from his place on the floor in front of the cabinet.

"Shut up, _Mer_ lin," he said good-naturedly.

"Of course, _Sire,_ " Merlin mocked. For a moment it felt as if they were back in Camelot. For a moment it felt as if nothing had changed.

The moment was shattered when Merlin pulled a bound bundle out from the depths of the cabinet and rolled it out on his desk, pushing a bunch of graphs and calculations out of the way. He pointed to an odd-shaped mass on the paper. It was wide and long, and had many points coming off it.

"That's America," Merlin told him.

"And it's a country?" Arthur asked to be sure.

"Yes," Merlin replied. He pointed to a couple of small islands near a land mass that Arthur knew to be Europe. "These are the British Isles, which is where the Five Kingdoms were."

"America is massive compared to them!" Arthur exclaimed.

"That's why it's considered to be one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, countries on Earth," Merlin explained.

"Considered to be?" Arthur questioned. "Is it not actually?"

Merlin thought about his question. "They're going through a change in leadership," he said finally. "Who knows where they'll be in four years."

Arthur didn't spend a lot of time pondering over what he meant. He had hopes that he'd learn it later. He had a far more important question on his mind. "What's for breakfast?"

Merlin chuckled as they walked to the kitchen. When they entered, Reanna was cleaning a pan in the sink, which Arthur had learned to use after a few false starts and some pranks pulled by Ciaran. Arthur went over to the refrigerator to see what looked appealing while Merlin walked over to his daughter. He gave her a hug (which she shied away from, with a protestant "Dad!", because she's a teenager and all).

Merlin laughed again and took the pan out of her hands. He muttered an incantation and the pan was lifted up and dried off with a golden flash of Merlin's eyes. Arthur sucked in a silent breath. Both Merlin and Reanna had done magic in front of him before, but that didn't stop him from being in total awe of their power. He still had issues believing that something so dangerous, something so ancient, could be used in a way that wasn't evil; that magic could be beautiful.

Reanna looked back at him. She saw his face and her eyes hardened. Presumably, Arthur thought, because she had guessed what he was thinking. Arthur was a little unsettled by this girl. She reminded him too much of Morgana. But thankfully, she chose not to say anything to him.

Instead she asked, "Is there anything specific you want to try? I'm going to the grocer's later and Ciaran has asked me to pick some stuff up."

Arthur thought. "No… nothing specific. Just some strawberries, you've run out. What does Ciaran need? Do I even want to know?"

Reanna smirked. "He wants every unhealthy snack I can find to give to you," she said. "But you didn't hear it from me." She winked. "I'll make sure to put strawberries on the list."

Arthur nodded. "Thank you."

The sound of hurried footsteps on the staircase caught Arthur's attention. "Merlin!" Ciaran shouted. "Arthur! Come quick!"

He, Merlin and Reanna rushed into the sitting room and nearly collided with Ciaran. His hair was rumpled and he was only half dressed. His eyes were wide and his face was red.

"Ciaran!" Reanna exclaimed. "What is it?"

"You have to come look," Ciaran gasped. "You won't believe it." He turned around and raced toward the closet window. "It's a knight!"

"A knight?" Arthur ran to the window. If a knight was coming maybe it was one of his. Maybe it was Gwaine or Percival, or even Leon. Maybe since he came back, his knights would come back too.

"Who is it?" Merlin asked.

"I don't know," Arthur replied.

"Why don't you go outside to find out," Reanna supplied, ever the voice of calm.

Arthur didn't give her an answer before he rushed out the door, the others following not far behind him. It didn't take him long to spot the solitary figure walking toward the house. Arthur saw glinting chainmail and a red cloak and he knew it was one of his knights. No one else dared to use the color red in their kingdoms.

Arthur ran forward. He knew Merlin would not be far behind. The figure started running toward them. "Merlin!" it called out. "Arthur!"

Arthur stopped dead in his tracks, Merlin bumping into his back and falling to the ground. Arthur didn't spare him a glance as he stared at the knight in front of him. Merlin picked himself up and, with a cry of joy, launched himself at the knight and pulled him into a tight embrace. Arthur continued to stare.

"Who is it?" Ciaran panted as he and Reanna caught up to them.

It took Arthur a few attempts to speak. "It's… Lancelot," he finally choked out.

The knight in question raised his head from Merlin's shoulder and looked right at Arthur, his dark brown eyes seeming to stare straight through him.

"My Lord," Lancelot said, as he let go of Merlin and dropped to one knee in a bow.

Arthur was too shocked to speak.

 **So the knights are coming back! FYI, William Bradford was a real person. He was an Englishman who fled to The Netherlands and later to America to escape religious persecution in England in the early 1620s. He's famous for being the governor of Plymouth for over 30 years intermittently. He's said to have been a good and just leader. I feel like these were qualities he and Arthur shared so that's why I chose him. Julia Meyer is a completely fictional person. I literally chose two names at random. This story takes place in England, and I'm American, so if there are any terms I don't get right, could someone tell me so I can fix it? All I'm going off of is British TV and books. Please review, they make my day!**


	5. Chapter 4

**I don't own Merlin**

* * *

Chapter 4

Arthur said nothing. There was nothing good he could say to Lancelot. Not after what he had done with Guinevere. Arthur had later forgiven her, but even though he respected Lancelot enough to give him a proper burial, there was always a part of him that blamed the knight. So Arthur said nothing, and sent a hateful glare the knight's way.

"Lancelot," Reanna whispered, sounding confused.

"Bloody hell!" Ciaran exclaimed. "That's fu-freaking insane!"

"Ciaran!" Merlin snapped. "Language!"

"Sorry!" Ciaran chirped.

Arthur was still staring at Lancelot, who had yet to get up. His head was still bowed over his knee, with his hair dripping. It was then that Arthur noticed that Lancelot was wet. "Forgive me, Sire, for my actions against your wife," he said. "It was unforgivable."

"Lancelot, no," Merlin said. "Don't apologize. Arthur," he said, turning to him, "When Lancelot and Gwen had an affair, neither of them were themselves."

That shocked Arthur out of his silence. "What do you mean?" he snapped. Lancelot rose to his feet, looking confused.

Merlin explained quickly. "Morgana had resurrected Lancelot to break up Arthur and Guinevere. She knew Gwen would never cheat if she was in her right mind, so Morgana gave Lancelot an enchanted bracelet to gift to Gwen. This is what caused Guinevere to cheat, Arthur. Lancelot was a Shade and she was under a curse. Neither of them knew what they were doing." Merlin stopped.

Arthur looked at Lancelot. He looked very confused. Arthur wondered why. Did he not know what he did? Oooohh, Arthur realized, he must not remember.

Reanna must have come to the same conclusion, because she asked, "Do you remember anything about what Da – Merlin said?" Arthur found it odd she called Merlin by his name. So did Merlin, based on the look he gave her.

Lancelot shook his head. "I… remember the Dorocha and walking through the Veil, but that's where my memories end. Until I got here," he said. "Where is here?"

"London," Arthur said. "In the year 2017." Lancelot's eyes went wide. His face paled and Arthur thought he was going to pass out. The knight opened his mouth and closed it, at a loss for words.

"I know it's a shock," Arthur said gently, finally taking pity on the knight, "but it's where you are now. It's not that bad, really. The food's decent, once you get used to it. And television isn't bad either." He heard Reanna snicker behind him and forced himself to not turn and glare at her.

"Lancelot," Merlin said. "Come with us. I'll show you where I live and we'll get you some new clothes."

Lancelot's brow crinkled. "What's wrong with my clothes?" Arthur smirked, remembering having said the same thing.

"If you went out, you would be laughed at and probably mugged," Arthur said, echoing Ciaran's words from he had returned. The boy smiled at him.

Lancelot sighed. "A-alright," he said shakily. "Lead the way." Merlin smiled and started to lead him to his house, but Reanna interrupted before they could get too far.

"Lancelot," she said. "Was there anybody with you when you came ashore? I'm assuming you came through the lake?"

"No," Lancelot said, staring at Reanna. "There was no one. It was just me."

Reanna nodded and said, "I'm Reanna, by the way. That idiot over there is Ciaran." She pointed at Ciaran, who saluted and mock bowed. Lancelot just nodded and stared ahead as he walked.

It wasn't long before they made it to the house. Lancelot stopped and stared at it for a moment, before continuing on, saying nothing. Knowing him, he would probably talk to Merlin later. As they went inside Reanna tripped over a table leg and would have crashed to the floor, had Lancelot not caught her around the waist. He flushed, quickly helping her stand and letting go of her.

"Thank you," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. Arthur noticed Lancelot staring at the red ends of it. She quickly walked into the interior of the house and sat back down in front of the television, pulled out a thick book as she did so. Ciaran went up the stairs and into his room, presumably to put on a shirt or maybe sleep more. Arthur went into the kitchen to finally get his breakfast. He pulled an apple out of the drawer. Merlin and Lancelot followed him in, Merlin saying he was going to find some clothes for Lancelot.

Arthur watched Lancelot's face as he looked around. He looked to be in awe of the technology around him. He stopped at the counter and leaned up against it, putting his head in his hands.

"Do you want something to eat?" Arthur asked. "The fruits are all mostly the same. The bread too."

Lancelot shook his head. "Not now," he said, "I'm not hungry. Maybe later."

Arthur nodded and went to wash his apple in the sink. He took a bite out of it and went to stand next to Lancelot, who still looked overwhelmed. "I understand," Arthur said. Lancelot glanced at him. "I understand how overwhelmed you must feel by all of _this_ ," he gestured around him, "but you'll get used to it. Everyone will help you. Just be wary of Ciaran. That boy always looks like he's up to something." Arthur chuckled, trying to break the tension. Lancelot chuckled with him.

"Is it a normal thing for men to go walking around without shirts on?" he asked. Arthur laughed even harder.

He clapped a hand on the knight's shoulder. "Don't worry," he said. "You'll learn."

Merlin came back in carrying a shirt and a pair of jeans, which Arthur had learned is what the coarse blue pants he had on were called. He handed them to Lancelot saying, "Put these on and see if they fit. If they don't we'll have to raid Ciaran's closet again. I should really have Reanna pick up some clothes when she's out," Merlin added to himself. He handed the clothes to Lancelot and showed him to a bathroom where he could change. Arthur smirked to himself, imagining all the times Merlin's going to have to teach the knights how to operate a bathroom.

At least, Arthur assumed that the knights were coming back. He guessed that if Lancelot came back then the others would too. He was looking forward to seeing their reactions to the modern day.

Arthur walked into the sitting room and sat back down on the couch. Reanna was engrossed in her book and Supernatural was no longer playing. Arthur grabbed the remote – a long stick he had seen Reanna and Ciaran use to control the television – and he pressed the button he hoped would change the show. It did and he kept scrolling through until he found one that interested him. Reanna gave him a dirty look but didn't say anything.

Arthur kept scrolling through, occasionally listening to what was being said when he heard someone say, "Arthur." It wasn't a voice he recognized. He stopped on the channel and saw onscreen a young man with ruffled black hair, blue eyes and prominent cheekbones. The picture changed and Arthur saw another young man, this one with blonde hair and blue eyes. His teeth were crooked as well, much like Arthur's own. In the background of the two men, Arthur saw a castle. The names they were saying and the conversation they were having was filled with terms and people Arthur knew.

He looked at Reanna askance. She was looking at him with wide eyes. She seemed to be fighting off the urge to laugh. At what, Arthur wasn't sure. "What is this?" he asked. "Is it about me and Merlin?"

"Um – yeah," Reanna said with a choked laugh. "It's a long story, but essentially it's your time as prince and king from Merlin's perspective. The viewers see Arthur as Merlin saw him, a great king who was an absolute prat. But unlike Arthur and everyone else, we know about his magic."

Arthur was amazed. "But… Merlin said himself that this all happened fifteen hundred years ago. I doubt records would survive that long of anything that happened in Camelot."

"That would be true," Reanna conceded, "but you forget that Dad has been around that long. He kept the stories alive, even if they got a bit scrambled."

"What do you mean 'scrambled'?"

A thoughtful look flashed over her face. "The relationships between people and the events that took place often get confused after a time," she said carefully. "Especially since nothing substantial was written down until the 12th century. By that time, the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table was garbled. Everything was passed down by word of mouth, so accents messed up place names and bards rewrote parts to make it more interesting and to fit the time."

"Like how?" Arthur asked. "What did they get incorrect?"

"Are you sure you want to know?" Reanna asked. Arthur hesitated then nodded. He wanted to know. "Mostly everything. The commonly accepted version is that Arthur was raised by a knight, Sir Ector, and pulled a sword out of a stone, which Uther had Merlin put in a church courtyard before his death. Whoever could pull the sword out of the stone would be the trueborn king of England. Arthur was crowned king and fought in many battles. He married Guinevere, the daughter of a king. They never had any children together, and this is where it starts to get confusing between versions, but Arthur did sleep with his sister, Morgan le Fay, an enchantress."

"That's disgusting!" Arthur interrupted. "Why would they think that?"

"I don't know _why_ ," she said, putting emphasis on the last word. "That's probably something you should ask Dad about. After sleeping together, Arthur and Morgan had a child. But Arthur didn't know this until Merlin told him because Morgan had left court to go back to her husband, Lot. This is where many people get confused and argue over what happened. No one can deny that there was a child – he ended up killing Arthur. What people debate the most about is _who_ the father of the child is. Some say it's Arthur. Others say Lot or someone else. Hell, there's even debate about the mother! Are Morgan and Morgause the same person or are they different people?"

"They're different," Arthur interjected. An icy ball of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. "Trust me, they're very different."

Reanna nodded. "Okay, then. It was rhetorical." She paused, seeming to collect her thoughts.

"Who was child?" Arthur asked. He had an idea but he needed to be sure….

"His name was Mordred," Reanna said softly.

"Of course it was," Arthur muttered crossly. But thankfully he took it in stride. "But where does this come in?" He nodded to the television.

Reanna sighed. "Over the years the story and the legends have been redone many times. This is just one of the newer ones. Although it is the most accurate."

"How do you know?"

"Dad worked with the writers." Apparently done talking, Reanna stuck her head back in her book. In that moment, she reminded Arthur a lot of Gaius when he was after some answer.

"…oh," was all Arthur said.

He got up to go someone quieter to digest all this information. Arthur was debating going outside – maybe to the lake? – when Ciaran came tripping down the stairs. Yes, tripping. He was almost as clumsy as Merlin. Arthur smirked and reached down to help him up. Ciaran waved him off.

"I'm fine," he grumbled. "The stair wasn't where I expected it to be."

Arthur was confused. "Haven't you lived here for years?" he asked. "Wouldn't you remember how to walk down your stairs?" Ciaran glared at him and walked off.

"What'd I do?" Arthur called.

He heard Reanna chuckled. "Just ignore him, Arthur. He's always like this in the morning. Although," she paused and Arthur heard angry mumbling. Reanna chuckled and said, "I'll have whatever you're having, Ciaran, if it makes me sound like that." Arthur didn't know what she meant, but he didn't care.

Merlin came out of a room at the end of the hallway to Arthur's right. Lancelot trailed right behind him, clad in jeans and a black shirt from their time. Arthur raised his eyebrow at the knight.

"None of the shirts fit," he muttered. Merlin chuckled.

"Doesn't surprise me," he said. "Ask Ciaran if you can borrow one of his, I'm sure it'll fit."

It was Arthur's turn to laugh. "I wouldn't right now though, he's pretty crotchety."

Merlin raised his eyebrow. "Why?"

"He tripped down the stairs and Reanna laughed at him," Arthur told.

"Tattler!" Reanna yelled from the couch.

Arthur didn't answer her.

Merlin sighed long-sufferingly. "It's never a dull life with those two," he said. Lancelot and Arthur both laughed.

"Speaking of Ciaran, Merlin," Arthur said. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Merlin's brow creased. "Of course." Arthur led him over to a secluded corner of the house. There was a creepy mask hung up on the wall. Arthur kept himself from looking at it.

"What's wrong?" Merlin asked.

"Why does something have to be wrong for me to want to talk to you _Mer_ lin?" Arthur sighed. "I just wanted to ask if Ciaran knew he was descended from me. I would like to talk to him about it."

Merlin exhaled through his nose. "I've never told him," he said, "but I'm sure he suspects something. You can tell him, Arthur. I'm sure he'll be excited." Merlin went into the kitchen and Arthur heard him talking to Lancelot.

 _I'm sure he'll be excited._ Somehow Arthur didn't think he would be.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Should I bring Uther and Gaius back too? I can't decide since they're both kinda old...**


	6. Chapter 5

**Um… some language in this chapter, just as a warning. Thank you for reviewing! They make me happy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

Chapter 5

As Arthur expected, Ciaran did not take his news well. In fact, Ciaran called him a "fucking liar" and said "if this is Reanna's fucked up idea of a joke, then tell her it's not fucking funny". Arthur told him that no, it wasn't a joke and that he was telling the truth and just wanted to talk, while Merlin yelled from the kitchen for Ciaran to watch his language. Ciaran swore again, just to be disobedient, Arthur was sure, and ran out of the house in a huff.

And that was that.

* * *

Dinner that night was a tense affair. They weren't eating anything special, at least not by Arthur's standards. They were having just a simple chicken, nothing more. In fact, he was fairly certain his father would have called it peasant food. Either way, Arthur didn't care. He had his strawberries in front of him, so he was content.

Across from him, Lancelot was staring straight ahead, seemingly at nothing. Arthur leaned forward and waved his hand in front of the knight's face. Lancelot started.

"Are you alright?" Arthur asked.

"You seem kinda spacey," Reanna added.

Lancelot nodded slowly. "I'm… fine," he said hesitantly. "This just feels all wrong." He gestured around him and to himself.

Arthur nodded. "I understand, really, I do. It feels so different, and not in a good way. It's not like the start of a new year, which you know will be different than the year before. It's like the start of a new life. Like you've been asleep for a thousand years and have only just woken up. You have no idea where or even when you are, so you have no basis for how to act, dress and speak. Times have changed since we were in Camelot - since Camelot even existed – and now we have to learn it all. It's unfair in a way, but you feel guilty for thinking that when you've been given another chance at life."

Lancelot stared at him until Arthur started to feel uncomfortable. No one at the table moved or made any noise. Even Ciaran kept quiet for once. Arthur was about to speak again when Lancelot sighed in relief and his shoulders slumped.

"You have no idea how good it feels to hear someone say that," Lancelot said, looking like he might cry.

Arthur blushed. "I have no idea where that came from," he said. "I've never put what I'm feeling into words before. It just kind of…. happened."

Lancelot smiled at him and turned to Merlin. "Are the others coming back as well?" he asked.

Merlin looked startled at the change of topic. His eyes bulged and his mouth fell open slightly. "Really, Merlin," Arthur said teasingly, "you look like a startled stoat." Lancelot let out a choked laugh as Merlin turned slowly to glare at Arthur, but the glare was lost when Merlin started to chuckle as well.

Merlin turned back to Lancelot, completely ignoring Arthur. He made an affronted sound but didn't say anything. God knows if Merlin would hex him or not. Arthur liked all his bits attached, thank you very much.

"I don't know for certain," Merlin said slowly, "but I would assume so, since you came back. The prophecy made it seem like only Arthur would return so I never thought you would too. If they are, I don't know when. Reanna," Merlin addressed his daughter, "have you had any visions?"

"Visions?" Lancelot echoed. "Like Morgana had?"

"Yeah," Reanna affirmed, "but I'm not evil." Lancelot simply nodded. "I've seen snippets," she continued. "Deaths, mainly, over and over, but I have seen a few resurrections. They all begin differently, but in the end the knight ends up on the shore. It's the same men, repeatedly."

"Leon, Percival, Elyan and Gwaine," Arthur said.

Reanna nodded. "I would assume so," she said. "But I can't be certain."

"We'll just have to wait and see, mates," was Ciaran's only contribution. Arthur continued eating his strawberries pensively.

* * *

Two months passed before anything exciting happened. Merlin still had to work. Ciaran was still annoying. Reanna still reminded Arthur too much of Merlin and, strangely, Morgana to be completely comfortable. Merlin had dug up some Camelot swords from his collection and gave them to Arthur and Lancelot to practice, since they were both out of shape. The hot weather finally turned to autumn and Arthur could stand to go outside for long periods of time without getting burned. Lancelot, too, seemed happy about the change. He had finally loosened up and was starting to learn. He, like Arthur, was in awe of the television. And they both were avid learners of the advances in modern warfare. Arthur knew Leon would have loved it, and Gwaine would have hated it. Unfortunately, Merlin could tell them little in detail after 1945, something about the end of a world war, Arthur wasn't sure if he heard the warlock correctly. How could the entire world be at war? Merlin refused to explain until they both knew more. Reanna was in the armchair laughing at them the whole time. Apparently it was a subject she knew well.

Speaking of Reanna, both she and Ciaran started leaving the house early in the morning and getting back early in the afternoon. It threw Arthur for a loop. One day he saw them in the kitchen at nine in the morning and the next day they weren't there when he woke. Merlin said that school started for them.

"What's school?" Arthur asked Ciaran one night after dinner, as they were watching a movie, as Ciaran called it. The boy had pulled Arthur and Lancelot to the couch and told them that they were going to sit through a Lord of the Rings marathon, whatever that meant. Arthur wasn't particularly interested, but Lancelot was on the edge of his seat.

Ciaran laughed bitterly. "A hellhole, a prison, the worst place on and below earth."

It didn't sound nice. "I thought it had to do with school _ing_ ," Arthur said. "Because of the name."

Ciaran laughed again. "You would think. But no, they employ shitty teachers who don't care about the good of their students at all. They're perfectly okay with letting the jocks push around the smaller kids and it's the mediator that gets punished, not the bully. It's supposed to be a safe place," he said bitterly.

Arthur had no words. He had rarely heard a child sound so bitter, angry and defeated all at once. "But aren't you meant to be learning?"

"Yeah."

"Do you not?"

"Sometimes."

"What does that _mean_?"

"It doesn't matter!" Ciaran said hotly. "Only another year and I'll be out of that hellhole. My only regret is that Reanna has two more years left."

At the sound of her name, Reanna poked her head in from the kitchen. She had secluded herself away, said she was doing homework. "I'll be fine, Ciaran," she said gently. "I can take care of myself. I'm a big girl. Has Dad gotten home yet?" Merlin had explained to Lancelot who Reanna and Ciaran were to him a few days after the knight returned. Even coming from Merlin's mouth Ciaran still didn't believe he was descended from Arthur.

"No." Ciaran said, crossing his arms and slouching like a petulant child.

"Go to sleep," Reanna said with a laugh. "You look like you need it."

"Can't I just drop out?" Ciaran seemed in a mood to complain. Must have been a bad day.

"You _can_ ," Reanna said. "But for some reason, no matter how many times you say you will, you never do. Why is _that,_ I wonder?" Reanna sounded like she already knew.

Ciaran bristled. Sensing an argument coming, Arthur turned off the television, waved away Lancelot's indignant look with a " _be quiet"_ gesture and sat back to listen. Whatever was going on between the two children, he wanted to know.

"If you think you know, why don't you tell me?" Ciaran spat.

"You think you need to protect me," Reanna said honestly. "Which you don't, by the way."

"But I do!" Ciaran protested. "I don't want anything happening to you, not again!"

Reanna's open faced closed off quickly. Touchy subject then. "Don't mention that," she hissed. "It wasn't my fault." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

The temperature dropped around them and Merlin's knick-knacks began to tremble. Reanna's eyes took on a faintly golden hue. No one except Arthur noticed, or if they did, they didn't care. Arthur thought he heard the sound of a door opening.

"Of course it wasn't!" Ciaran said, standing up. "But I need to make sure it doesn't happen again. To you or anyone else!"

"One person can't do that alone!" A window shattered.

"Reanna!" Merlin's voice yelled from the doorway. "Calm yourself. Stop the magic." As is Merlin had said a code word, everything stopped trembling and the heady scent of magic left the air. Arthur didn't even notice it was there until it was gone. With a flash of his eyes, Merlin fixed the window.

Reanna stifled a sob and walked briskly out the door that Merlin had left wide open. Arthur watched her dyed red hair retreat into the night. Merlin walked up to Ciaran.

"Why would you remind her of that?" he asked, not angry, but not pleasant either.

"I was trying to explain why I wouldn't drop out," Ciaran said tearfully. Now that the argument was over he seemed to regret saying what he did. Ciaran sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands. Arthur saw him shake with suppressed sobs. Merlin put his hand on Ciaran's head and pulled him into a hug. Ciaran wrapped his arms around Merlin's waist, looking like an upset child. Arthur got up to leave, as did Lancelot, but they were stopped by Merlin growling, "Don't go anywhere."

He unwrapped Ciaran's arms from him. "Go apologize and talk it out calmly," Merlin said gently. "Don't let your tempers get in the way." Ciaran nodded and shuffled out slowly, shoulder hunched and still shaking.

Merlin sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair, tugging on it and rounded on him and Lancelot. "Why did you not stop them?" he demanded, voice cracking.

Arthur's own temper rose up. The king within him wanted to tell Merlin off for speaking to him that way, but his heart knew it was just a father's panic for his daughter. So he answered honestly. "I wanted to know what they were talking about," he muttered.

"And you?" Merlin pulled a Gaius on Lancelot, who could never lie even in the direst of situations. The knight cracked.

"Arthur told me to be quiet. I wasn't going to disobey my king," Lancelot said quietly. Arthur felt guilty; he didn't deserve Lancelot's loyalty. Merlin growled and stormed out, presumably to go after his daughter and Ciaran, who Arthur supposed, quite stupidly, not to mention belatedly, would be Merlin's ward.

Lancelot turned to Arthur. His face was pinched and concerned. "Merlin's changed, hasn't he?"

Arthur wasn't sure how to respond. 

**Well… I don't know where that one came from. I started typing and couldn't stop. I hope y'all liked it! Hopefully soon we'll find out what happened to Reanna, as soon as I find a good place for it. Please review and tell me you thoughts. They help make me a better writer.**


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own erlin**

Chapter 6

Gwaine was the next knight to come back.

One night, about two weeks after Reanna and Ciaran's fight, during dinner Reanna shocked everyone by collapsing off her chair. But before anyone could react, Merlin, too, paled and swayed. Arthur caught him before he could fall as Lancelot and Ciaran helped a disoriented Reanna up from the floor.

"Did you feel that?" she shakily asked Merlin.

He nodded, eyes wide. "The lake."

Remembering that's where he and Lancelot had come up, Arthur rushed out of the house and quickly ran to the lake. He was just in time. As their small group arrived, a wet body was pulling itself out of the lake. Arthur knew it was Gwaine when rough cursing hit their ears. Ciaran had chuckled.

Merlin's eyes widened. "Gwaine," he whispered. Merlin sprinted to the beach, quickly outrunning the rest of them. Up ahead, Arthur saw Merlin help Gwaine up. A loud cry of, "Merlin!" was heard from Gwaine. Merlin responded similarly.

As Arthur and Lancelot drew near, Reanna and Ciaran held back to give them space. Gwaine looked up as their shadows fell on him.

"Lancelot!" he exclaimed. "Princess!"

Arthur couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. It was refreshing to know that fifteen centuries hadn't dampened Gwaine's spirits one bit. They embraced and if tears were shed, than who was there to judge?

Gwaine's return was met with more welcome than Lancelot's was.

* * *

After that the knights started returning quickly. There was no more months long waits. They had barely finished teaching Gwaine how to operate a microwave before Leon came back. This time there was nothing to suggest anything out of the ordinary. No magicians fainting, no one getting sick. They would never have known that Leon had returned had he not shown up on their doorstep, shivering and wet.

Leon, like Lancelot, did not take well to modern day. He was in a state of shock, which was broken by Ciaran's obnoxious pranks. This one involved a bucket of ice cold water and something Merlin had called shaving cream. As the name implied, it was used for shaving.

Merlin had reduced his work schedule to only a few days a week. Whenever he wasn't working, Merlin was never far from one of them, especially Arthur. It was annoying at first, but when confronted about it Merlin said, quite vulnerably, that he was just making sure that none of it was a dream. They left him to his business after that.

After Leon came Elyan. His return was similar to Leon's. Reanna and Ciaran came upon him stumbling his way to the house from the woods as they came back from school. Elyan was flabbergasted at the changes in technology and was even more flabbergasted at Merlin's news about who Reanna and Ciaran were. Ciaran scoffed, rolled his eyes and walked away. Arthur followed after him.

"I know you don't believe me," he started, "but I'm telling the truth I swear."

Ciaran rounded on him. "How can I know you are telling the truth? You _died_ before your son was born; I know that story! If Merlin knew I was your descendent, why would he never say anything?"

Arthur shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "All I _do_ know is that you're descended from me. That's what Merlin told me and I believe him. How can I convince you that I'm not lying?"

Ciaran studied his face for a long moment. What he was searching for, Arthur had no idea. He must have found what he was looking for, because he sighed and said simply, "Okay, I believe you."

"Really?" Arthur thought it would've taken more than that, but hey, you won't see him complaining.

Ciaran nodded thoughtfully. "I think I've always believed you, deep down. I just couldn't accept it."

"Why not?"

Ciaran hesitated before answering. "I've always known the stories of King Arthur. I grew up with them; Merlin told them to me as a child. I always imagined Arthur as a mighty king, a bear of a man. A man who was strong and confident and chivalrous and a great fighter. He's the king whose knights shaped the modern ideal of chivalry and knights in shining armor. I always looked up to him, both the legend and the man – you." Ciaran gestured to Arthur. "And now, after 13 years, I'm only just being told of my relation to you. Why? Why now? Why have I not always known?"

Arthur was at a loss for words. "I don't know," he answered.

Ciaran smiled sadly. "And I wouldn't expect you to, mate."

"That doesn't explain your anger, though." Arthur wanted to know. Maybe it was a bad idea, but he had questions and he wanted answers. "It doesn't explain why you fought with Reanna the way you did."

Ciaran shrugged. "My social life isn't good," he said honestly. "I'm picked on and unfortunately that hate has transferred to Reanna as well. She was…. attacked…. a while back and I couldn't protect her. I can barely protect myself when they come after me. If I'm supposed to be descended from a great king, then why am I not… more? Why am I so pathetic? Why could I not protect my sister?" Ciaran sounded broken, like he honestly believed what he was saying.

Arthur couldn't believe that someone would attack Reanna. She was such a sweet girl who wouldn't hurt a fly, much like Merlin was. Sure, she was rough around the edges, but she's young. She'll change. Arthur did when he was her age, and after.

"How was she attacked?" Arthur asked. "There are some types that not only one man can fend off."

Ciaran hesitated. "You're right," he said. "It doesn't matter. She's fine now and the guys that attacked her have been dealt with." He turned to go but Arthur caught his arm.

"I didn't say that," he started, "at all. I was saying that if it's five against one you had little chance of winning. It would take someone extremely skilled to do that. I'm sure you tried your damnedest to win. I'm sure Reanna knows that. She won't blame you, if that's what you're worried about." Arthur cursed himself mentally. He knew his speech was bad; he'd never been good with emotions.

"I did." Ciaran nodded. "I tried so damn hard. And they still hurt her. She couldn't even use her magic to fight them off. If she did, they would've come after all of us, Merlin too. And neither of us wanted that."

It was Arthur's turn to hesitate. "I don't know what to say. Have you talked to her at all?"

"Not since she was in the hospital, no. She refuses to speak of it and I don't blame her."

"What happened to her exactly?" Arthur was curious.

"That's not my story to tell," Ciaran said. "You should ask Merlin, if you want to know. He'd be more likely to tell you than Reanna. But be careful, neither likes to think about it." With those final words, Ciaran stalked off to the kitchen, where Leon, Gwaine, Lancelot and Merlin were talking to Elyan. Arthur knew he should join them, but he needed time alone. So he went to Merlin's study. It's where he always went when he needed to think.

Arthur didn't think much before he decided his brains were too scrambled to think. So he decided to go to bed. Maybe some sleep would help clear his thoughts. He put on his nightclothes, basketball shorts and a t-shirt, and climbed under his blanket on the couch. Arthur was lulled to sleep by the dim voices coming from the kitchen. His dreams were full of images of Reanna and Ciaran, being hurt by faceless demons. Arthur didn't get much sleep.

* * *

Given how many people were now living under one roof, someone was bound to fall ill.

First it was Reanna, with the flu. She was sick for days, before she got better, just in time for one of his knights to catch the disease. Arthur was woken one morning by someone rushing past his couch. He heard the sounds of retching coming from the kitchen. Having been woken this way before by Reanna, he blearily stumbled into the kitchen.

"Reanna," he muttered, "you doing okay?" Damn it, he was starting to pick up modern slang.

The retching continued for another minute. "Not Reanna," came a deep voice.

"Leon?"

"Aye." More retching. Arthur stood by Leon's side while he finished. Leon's head hung between his shoulders. Arthur put a hand on his back.

"Are you better now?"

Leon shook his head. "No," he said, dropping all pretense of being noble. "I feel like someone has kicked my head in. The world is spinning and I feel like I've ingested too many of Gaius's potions." He retched again as Arthur chuckled. "Not funny." Leon's glare was weak. His eyes were bright with fever. Arthur put a hand to Leon's forehead, as he had seen Merlin do to Reanna. It was too warm.

"Let's cool you off," Arthur said. "You should lie down." Leon didn't protest as Arthur led him to the couch. Leon had been sleeping on the floor, but Arthur put him on the couch. It'd be more comfortable for him. Arthur wrapped the shivering knight in his blankets.

Arthur went back into the kitchen and ran the water in the sink, clearing away Leon's vomit. He grabbed a towel from off the counter and ran it under the cold water. Turning the water off, Arthur went back into the sitting room and put the cloth on Leon's head. The knight shivered and groaned at the feeling.

"I wish Gaius was here," Arthur said softly. "He'd know what to do. I'm out of my depth." Leon didn't answer. Arthur thought he was asleep.

"Oh, no," Reanna said, coming down the stairs. "Is Leon sick now too?"

"Yes, unfortunately," Arthur said. "He threw up not too long ago."

Reanna sighed. "Wake him up and I'll give him some medicine." She went into the kitchen. Arthur shook Leon's shoulder and was gifted with a muttered curse. Reanna came back out, balancing a bucket, a cup of water and a small pill. Arthur took the water and handed it to Leon. Reanna handed him the pill.

"Swallow that," she said quietly. "Get it down with the water, and then try to sleep more. It'll help you get better faster." Leon took the pill without complaint, and, eyeing it warily, swallowed it, chasing it down with a gulp of water. He grimaced.

"Tastes better than Gaius's at least," Leon muttered. He laid back down and quickly started to snore. Arthur chuckled.

Reanna sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She was pale, more than normal, and her hair was pulled up messily on top of her head, made even messier from her fingers. She swayed.

"Are you alright?" Arthur moved closer to her, in case she fell.

"I'm fine," she muttered.

"You're pale," Arthur said. "You're still ill."

"So what if I am," she muttered testily. "I can't miss anymore school."

Arthur sighed. He didn't want to argue. "Then go." Reanna shuffled into the kitchen.

Arthur sighed again. This was going to be a long week.

* * *

 **Sorry it's boring. Next chapter I hope to have some action go down. As always, please review and tell me anything I can do better. It really helps!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Sorry for the longer than normal wait. I hope you enjoy this chapter! And as always please review. I love hearing y'all's thoughts about my writing and the storyline.**

 **I don't own Merlin.**

Reanna's POV

Chapter 7

"Okay, listen up, students!" Theodore Evans, the 10th grade world history teacher shouted. "Everyone calm down! Sit down and listen!" The students kept talking over him. "I'm taking roll and if you're not in your seat when your name is called I'm counting you tardy!" Evans screamed. The room quieted.

From her corner of the room, Reanna studied the class. The back wall was where the jocks hung out, the football players and basketball stars. The fake girls (aka the popular clique) were with them. Reanna couldn't stand them. She didn't understand how someone could let themselves be so _boring_ and _basic_. She would go mad if it was her. Opposite of her corner was the nerds. They sat in the corner playing card games, video games and doing the days homework. Next to the nerds were the emo/goth kids. Their dark clothing and dyed hair really stuck out against the general brightness of the classroom.

Quickly, the students took their seats. Reanna slid into hers, third row from the door, fourth seat back. She unpacked her book and spiral from her backpack and waited for Evans to take roll. She took out her phone and shot a text to her father.

 **Leon is sick. Arthur's with him**

He responded quickly. **Damn. Where r u?**

Reanna rolled her eyes at her dad's text speak. **At school. Felt well enough to go**

 **OK. Call if you need to be picked up.**

 **OK will do.**

 **Love you.**

 **Love you too dad**

"Alright, phones away everyone. I'm taking roll." Reanna slid her phone into her pocket.

"Aberdeen."

"Here."

"Blackwell."

"Present."

"Boyd."

"Wishing I was anywhere but here." The class laughed. Aaron Boyd has always been the class clown.

"Ha ha, very funny," Evans said sarcastically. "Cabrera?"

"Yo, sup, teach!" The teacher sighed dramatically. Reanna smirked as the class laughed again.

"Devereux?"

"Present."

"Douglass twins?"

No one answered. "They're not here," Jenny Aberdeen said from the back of the classroom. "They went to their grandmother's funeral."

"Poor girls," Abigail Devereux cooed. The teacher hummed.

"Can someone please tell me if El-Amin is here today?" Evans sighed long-suffering.

"Probably not," Thomas Ramsay said. "Pretty sure he's skipping. As normal."

"Yes, as normal," Evans said. "I'll write him up later. Emrys?"

"Right here," Reanna muttered. She zoned out as the teacher called out the rest of the names.

It didn't take long for her thoughts to go to Arthur and his knights. What were they doing in the twenty-first century? Aside from the obvious, of course. She wanted to know what horrible event was going to happen that called for Arthur's return. How that event will put the world in a worse state than it is now, or even worse than during the World Wars.

Reanna didn't know what to think about Arthur and his knights. The only stories her father had ever told her had always painted the king and the knights in such a strong and powerful light. Now, seeing them in modern-day, they don't seem as strong or as powerful. She supposed that being thrust into a new world, so different from their own could easily explain their lack of strength. But Arthur had been with them for almost two months, and Reanna had seen little change in him. Sure, he knew how to work a TV and what a selfie was, but Reanna wouldn't call that _progress._ Arthur was making no move to figure out what called them back. Neither was her father. Reanna wanted to give them both a smack upside the head.

She was sure that Morgana and Mordred were back as well. If her dreams were any prophecy of the future then something bad was about to happen. Something that could shape the course of the world. But what? That's what Reanna needed to know.

The bell rung. Her head jerked up. Students around her were leaving. She grabbed her backpack and dashed off to her next class.

Reanna was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she never saw the foot that stuck out to trip her. She went down hard, hitting her shoulder and head in the process. She sat up, blinking away tears and the rolling feeling of nausea. Reanna rubbed her head. "Ow…" she moaned.

"Aw," a sickly sweet voice cooed, "did the school slut hit her head?"

Reanna recognized the voice. She growled. "Leave me alone, Lantos. Don't you have some makeup to reapply or whatever?" The question was rhetorical.

Avril Lantos stared down her perfectly contoured at Reanna, looking like she was the scum of the earth. With her designer clothes, dyed blonde hair and perfectly done makeup, Avril Lantos was the object of every boy's affection at Regent High School. Naturally beautiful and painfully aware of it, Avril made it her mission to make every tomboy at Regent feel bad about herself. Unfortunately, Reanna fell into that group. Avril had been bullying her all year, but it had escalated since… the accident.

"Don't you have some disgusting bloke to bang in the bathroom?" Lantos shot back.

Reanna flushed. "I don't, for your information. I never have, and I never will."

A look of fake sympathy passed over her face. It was obvious that she didn't believe Reanna. She wanted to punch Avril for being such a bitch all the time. Reanna stood and clenched her fists. Avril saw.

"Oh," she said. "Are you going to take a swing at me? Here? In the middle of the hallway?"

Reanna was seeing red. She was so done with this pompous bitch calling her a slut and making fun of her all the time.

"Reanna!" Ciaran called. "Stop!" He jogged up to her and grabbed her wrist. She flinched. He let go and apologized.

"Sorry. But you need to walk away before you do something you'll regret later." She looked into his multi-colored eyes and let herself be lead away, but not before she shot a final glare at Lantos.

Ciaran led her over to where her two best friends were standing. They both looked at her worriedly.

"Are you okay?" Katherine Peterson asked. "Do I need to deck her?"

Reanna looked at her American friend. "That's not a good idea," she said. "Let me take care of it. You're already being watched for getting in that fight with Brayden McPherson last week." Katharine touched the shiner she had received from said fight. As the only girl on the wrestling team, Katharine was no stranger to fighting, but she was not used to someone fighting unfairly, which McPherson did.

"He called you a slut."

"Everyone calls me a slut."

"Doesn't mean it's true."

"Never said it was." The four teens started walking to first period.

"Would it not have been easier to accept her friendship back in freshman year?" Reanna's other friend, Adelaide Lindsay asked. Her clear blue eyes were wide. Always the pacifist, Reanna thought.

"She just wanted me in her group because she thought I was _pretty,"_ Reanna said. "She was never going to be my friend. I'd already decided that."

"You didn't have to antagonize her."

"I didn't," Reanna protested weakly.

"Yes, you did," Ciaran interjected. "Telling her she was a fake and a bitch certainly didn't help matters."

"Antagonizing people has always worked for Dad." It was a feeble argument and she knew it.

"And see how well that's worked for him," Adelaide replied. "He can't seem to hold a steady friendship."

"He's fine like he is!" Reanna retorted.

"Reanna, calm down," Ciaran soothed. "Do you need to go home? You still seem sick."

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious, dipshit." Wow, she really needed to cool down.

She heard Ciaran sigh. "This is my turn. Meet me at lunch and we'll talk. Okay, sis?"

She knew he was just concerned for her. "Okay," she muttered testily. Ciaran waved to Katharine and Adelaide before walking away.

Both girls linked their arms through hers. "Before you know it," Katharine said, "we'll be out of here and you'll never have to deal with her again."

"Yeah, but I'll have to deal with stuck up, petty people like her," Reanna said. "High school never ends."

Katharine was silent. Adelaide sighed. "Reanna," she ventured carefully, "are you sure this is just about Avril? There seems to be more going on. Does this have to do with Keegan?"

Reanna stopped, not caring about the students who ran into her. Sometimes Adelaide was too smart for her own good. "Don't mention him," she hissed. "This has nothing to do with him!" With that said, she rushed down the hallway toward her classroom, leaving her friends behind her.

* * *

After a crappy school day, Reanna was glad to be home, even if she was living in the middle of a warzone.

After ditching Ciaran at lunch and suffering through a terrible school assembly on drugs, Reanna was looking forward to being able to settle down in the sitting room with her homework and listen to Arthur and the knights watching _Merlin_ , which they had taken to doing. Her father had recently shown them how to use Netflix and they were obsessed, particularly Gwaine, who kept wanting to know how orange correlated to black and why it was new. Ciaran made some joke about American politics. Her father had given him a smack on the head. The knights new better than to ask.

Leon was still sick, although Arthur reported that he hadn't thrown up again. Reanna supposed that was good. Maybe the ill knight had resilience to it from his life in Camelot. Which reminded her…

"Hey, dad?"

Merlin looked up from his spot in the kitchen, making stew. "What's up?" He was still dressed in his scrubs, instead of his suit, from that day's work. Reanna knew that's how he operated on a child that day. His recently cut hair curled around his ears.

"Have you ever considered that maybe Morgana and Mordred have come back as well?" She knew she was taking a risk, bringing it up in front of the others, but to her it was worth it. Arthur froze at her words. Ciaran looked up from his textbook.

Her dad put the lid on the pot. "Of course I've thought about it, Reanna."

When he didn't offer any more information she pressed further. "Haven't you tried to find them?"

Merlin sighed. "Of course I have. I've used my magic and I haven't found a trace of them. Either they haven't come back or they're being closely guarded by a strong veil of magic."

"Couldn't you find that if you wanted to, Merlin?" Lancelot asked.

Her father shrugged. "I've never tried that before. I'll set up some spells after dinner." He turned away and Reanna knew the conversation was over. Sometimes her father annoyed her so much, with the way he would turn away from her and anything even remotely emotionally related.

It wasn't that she doubted her father had looked. She knew he had. But the way he was going about it seemed to… careful and precise. Almost like he _had_ done it before and was setting himself up for failure. She didn't understand it.

She looked at Ciaran. She needed to talk to him. Not about school, although she would apologize for that. She needed to know what he was thinking about her father's actions. As he looked up and met her eyes, she knew that their conversation was going to be awkward. She really hated anything that came between them.

She still remembered when he came to live with them. Her father had taken her to another country – by _airplane_ , which ne never used – where they met four-year-old Ciaran. He was a scrawny boy with a mess of blonde hair. When Merlin brought him back to England, he gave Reanna the task of helping him settle in. She and Ciaran have been close ever since.

Gwaine getting up shook her out of her thoughts. Her eyes tracked him as he walking across the room. The rouge knight picked up a picture frame from the mantle above the fireplace. He brought it over to Reanna.

"Who's this?" he asked.

Reanna looked at the picture. It was of a woman, about 30 years old, who had auburn hair and grey eyes. Reanna's grey eyes. The woman was in a field of flowers. It was obviously springtime. She had a beautiful smile on her face, full of love that was directed at whoever was holding the camera. The woman was wearing a long cream colored dress and had on a wide brimmed hat to block the sun. She was gorgeous.

Reanna smiled. "That's my mother," she said softly, reverently.

Gwaine looked at the picture again. "Where is she?" he questioned hesitatingly.

"She's dead," Reanna stated. "I don't know how. Dad won't speak of her."

"Have you asked?"

"Of course I have," she said. "It's probably too painful for him or something. Ask him. Maybe he'll tell you," she added bitterly.

"Maybe I will," he said. "For you." Reanna stared at him in wonder.

* * *

 **Not a fan of parts of this chapter. Sorry for the abrupt ending. Needed a place to end it. Man, these last few weeks have been crazy. My family moved over spring break and our wifi wasn't working and then school started again and took control of my life. Then STAAR testing happened and oh my God, I never want to do that again. It was terrible. Unfortunately I have three left…**

 **Whew. Sorry for the rant. Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Sorry for the lack of the knights. Please review and tell me if I'm doing anything wrong. Also- did anyone catch my Supernatural reference?**


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 **Sigh…. here we are again. I apologize for the long wait. I really have no excuse except school and homework. I did driving school and I've had a lot of choir competitions. So I won't talk for long and let you get to reading.**

 **Here's a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed. It means so much to hear feedback from y'all.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.**

Gwaine POV:

Gwaine left Reanna in her chair, mulling over what she told him. _She's dead,_ Reanna had said. That certainly explained a few things, like why there was not a woman around. _Dad won't speak of her._

It was obvious to Gwaine that Reanna needed to know about her mother. He recognized the look on her face as the same one he remembered Arthur getting when he thought of his mother. The knight gave the picture one last look as he put it back on the mantle. He wasn't lying when he said he would ask Merlin for her. No one deserves having a parent kept from them, no matter how upsetting the circumstances where. Gwaine witnessed what that deception did to Arthur and his father, and the repercussions it had on Camelot. He didn't want Merlin to have a broken relationship with his daughter. Gwaine decided that he was going to ask Merlin next time he had the opportunity.

Gwaine went and sat next to Arthur, who was transfixed with a giant book he had in his lap. Gwaine picked up the cover to look at it. _World History, Grade 11_ is what the title read.

"Brushing up?" Gwaine asked.

Arthur grunted. "Yeah. Never hurts to be prepared. Did you need something?"

Gwaine's eyebrows rose. "Someone's snappy tonight." Arthur glared. Gwaine raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I wanted to ask if you knew anything about Reanna's mother and how she died."

Arthur's eyes bugged and he closed his book. "I didn't know she _had_ died."

"But you suspected?" Arthur nodded. "Why didn't Merlin didn't tell you?" Magic notwithstanding, Gwaine thought Merlin told Arthur everything.

"I knew she wasn't around but no one said anything and I didn't want to ask Merlin," Arthur said.

"Why would you not? I would've been too curious to _not_ ask."

"I'm not you, Gwaine," Arthur snapped. "It was obvious that Merlin and Reanna's mother weren't married. I've seen the lack of a ring. I didn't want to assume anything or make Merlin uncomfortable. He seems so unstable as of late."

"Merlin's current mentality aside," Gwaine started, "why does it matter if they were married or not?" It came out snappier than he meant it.

Arthur sighed. "Look, Gwaine, I'm not looking for a fight. It doesn't. At least not anymore. A lot seems to not matter anymore." Arthur looked pensive.

"So unmarried mothers and fathers are common here?" That was news to Gwaine.

"According to what Ciaran told me, yeah," Arthur reported. He smiled half-heartedly. "I always thought you'd fit in here perfectly."

Gwaine bristled. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"We always assumed that somewhere you had a horde of bastard children running around," Arthur said, laughing. "Here it doesn't seem like it would matter."

Gwaine never got the chance to be offended because he was distracted by Merlin calling them for dinner. Then his stomach got in the way of his brain.

* * *

The following days were crazy.

The next day, as Gwaine was recuperating from a hangover (he had gone on binge during the knight with Leon), there came a brisk knock at the door. From his spot on the couch, the knight mumbled for someone else to get it. Merlin came stumbling out of his bedroom, where he and Lancelot were crammed onto the bed. The warlock blearily opened the door and startled the others when he shouted.

"Percival!" he cried.

That got Gwaine moving. Ignoring his pounding head, he leapt from his spot and rushed to Percival. The big knight also rushed forward and the two met in a mess of flailing limbs.

Percival pulled back first, smiling wide. "It's good to see you, Gwaine," he said lowly.

"You too, Percy," Gwaine said, smiling at the giant knight.

Percival stepped back and was quickly surrounded by the other knights. They were all hugging and smiling widely, roughly pounding Percival on the back. Gwaine hung back, smiling widely, waiting by Reanna and Ciaran, who had stumbled downstairs to see what all the commotion was about. It was from this vantage-point that Gwaine noticed a lone figure standing by the large oak tree at the front of the house.

"Gwaine," Reanna hissed, grabbing his arm tightly. "There's someone by the tree."

"Yeah, I noticed," he whispered. He noticed the figure was wearing a long dress and had curly hair falling about their shoulders. A woman then. "I think I know who it is."

Ignoring Reanna's incredulous look, Gwaine stepped around the pack of knights. "My lady," he called loudly. "Queen Guinevere."

The noise of the knights stopped. As one, the broke apart and all bowed except for Arthur. Guinevere paid them no attention as she rushed toward Arthur. The king ran forward and embraced his wife. Gwaine could hear Guinevere sobbing. He was sure Arthur was as well.

Elyan walked forward as Gwen and Arthur separated. Tearfully, he embraced Guinevere. They stood there for a moment, brother and sister, united one more.

As they separated Merlin ushered everyone inside. He and Gwen grabbed onto each other like the world was ending. Gwaine could see Merlin's shoulders shaking.

"At least I'm not the only female anymore," Reanna said.

"Too much testosterone for you?" Ciaran joked.

"Definitely." Reanna smirked. "There's so much I can smell it." She and Ciaran wandered off laughing. Gwaine followed sedately behind, lost in his own thoughts.

Gwaine turned around and stared at the rising sun. His head was pounding, even more so when he tried to think, but he ignored it. The knight took a breath of fresh air. It smelt so _dirty,_ he thought. He missed Camelot and its beauty. But now everyone was back. The Round Table, united as one. Maybe Merlin will finally start acting, Gwaine thought. Maybe he'll try harder to find Morgana and Mordred. Gwaine really wanted to get that bitch back for killing him.

"Gwaine!" Reanna called. She was holding the door open. "Early breakfast. We've got a hangover cure in it, no worries."

"Is it that aspirin- sphere- thing again?" he asked grimacing, as he walked inside. His last encounter with that "medicine" left him vomiting in front of the toilet. Ciaran had found it incredibly funny. Merlin was just relieved that Gwaine would never add "drug addict" to his list of titles.

"God, no," Reanna laughed. "We are never giving that to you again. This is a hangover recipe. It includes strong coffee and all things greasy."

"Sounds lovely."

"That was sarcasm, right?"

"Damn right it was."

"Just checking."

They walked into the kitchen, where Leon shoved a coffee mug into Gwaine's hands. Gwaine took a sip and choked. "It's hot!" he spluttered.

"I would imagine so, Gwaine," Leon said calmly, looking like he in no way was suffering from a hangover. "It just came out of the… machine." Gwaine sent a glare.

"A warning would have been nice." Leon just shrugged.

Merlin bustled about the kitchen, expertly dodging knights, queen and teenagers as he went about making breakfast, eyes still suspiciously bright. Gwaine was transported to a time when he got a laugh from seeing Merlin running around the castle when he was a servant. Gwaine banished the memory from his head. He tried not to think about what he has lost.

The knight looked at Gwen and Arthur. They looked so happy to be back together after many centuries apart. He went over to Merlin, who was staring at them sadly and almost wistfully. Gwaine thought he knew what the warlock was thinking about. He decided to take a guess.

"Thinking of Reanna's mother?" he asked.

Merlin started. "How'd you know?" he asked.

"I've worn the look of longing many a time, my friend," Gwaine responded, raising his eyebrows. "I know how to spot it."

There was a pause.

"I miss her, Gwaine," Merlin said unexpectedly. "So much. She brought light to my life. She almost made me forget how sad I was. She was my everything. It's been… I don't even remember how long it's been since I've loved a girl like that."

"What was her name?"

"Emma Burrell."

"Merlin…." Gwaine paused. He wasn't sure if he should continue. The look of pain in Merlin's eyes was almost too much. Almost. But he had promised Reanna that he would find out about her mother. "What happened to her?"

"It's a long story. Gwaine," Merlin said.

Gwaine's eyes flicked to Arthur and Gwen. Gwen was embracing Ciaran, with Arthur and Reanna standing off to the side. Obviously Arthur had told her about Ciaran's connection to them. Ciaran tried to pull back but Gwen wouldn't let him. Gwaine smirked.

"We have time," he said simply.

Merlin took a deep breath. "It's not a happy story, so brace yourself. I met Emma almost seventeen years ago. She had just gotten out of school. She was going to be a lawyer, not that that means anything to you. A lawyer defends anyone who has been accused of a crime. She was amazing, beautiful, fearless. Reanna is so much like her sometimes it's scary. It had been... about a hundred and fifty years, I think, since I had known someone that well, let alone loved anyone that much. I didn't know what I was doing. I tried not to, but soon enough I found myself falling in love with Emma Burrell. One night we stayed up late talking – we were living together at this point – and drinking and we drank too much. We had sex that night."

Gwaine whistled. Merlin really had changed.

"The next morning was hell."

Gwaine chuckled. "It usually is, mate."

Merlin shot him a glare. Gwaine wisely shut up. "Emma was a Catholic and a devout one. That's one of the reasons I was attracted to her. She hadn't wanted to sleep with anyone until she was married, which I respected. That was the first time we had done anything.

"The next morning she was mortified. She rushed out of the flat. I was devastated. I thought I would never see her again. But, about two months later, she showed up at my flat and told me she was pregnant. Neither of us was extremely happy about it, but now I wouldn't change anything that we did. I have my daughter." Merlin stopped, seemingly done with his story.

"How did she die?" Gwaine asked gently.

"Childbirth," was Merlin's only answer. Gwaine soaked this in.

"So you finally know how Uther felt, eh?" he tried to joke.

"Yeah, I do," Merlin said. "And I hate it. Because I know exactly how he felt. I wanted revenge because I couldn't do anything to save her. I wasn't even allowed in the delivery room. I could barely even look at Reanna after she was born. All I saw was Emma."

"Is that why you won't search for Morgana and Mordred?" Gwaine asked, ignoring the revenge part.

Merlin looked affronted. "I have looked for them, I've already told you."

"Are you sure you've done enough?"

"Of course I have!"

"Merlin, you are the most powerful warlock ever. This - " Gwaine gestured around him, "doesn't seem very powerful. Are you absolutely sure there is not any other spell you can try to find them? Because if we can find them before they know we are back, then we won't have anything to worry about. We'll all be safer that way."

"I've never thought about it like that before," Merlin muttered. Finally, Gwaine thought, getting through to him. "I can protect you all better that way," he said even softer. Gwaine ignored that last bit, as he was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to hear it.

"Think on it, Merlin," Gwaine said, slapping Merlin on the back. Merlin winced and rubbed his shoulder, just like old times. "I'm going to give Percival the tour."

"Have fun," Merlin murmured, walking over to a locked case. That was where Gwaine knew he kept his spell books. Merlin must have an idea after all.

Gwaine smiled as he strutted up to Percival. He decided he would start in the bathroom. The day was looking up.

* * *

 **Well…. I think everyone is back now. Or almost. I have my mind set on writing a big emotional scene between Reanna and Merlin, but I'm scared to honestly. I'm not good at writing emotional scenes and this one would be pivotal to the plotline. But how was this chapter? Which of the knights/characters do you want to see more of?**

 **I'm so sorry I've been silent so long. School has been so busy and so stressful, that's all I can say. But only two more weeks until summer. But finals are next week, ugh. Good luck to any of y'all who are taking finals or any type of exam!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin.**

Arthur POV

Chapter 9

Arthur looked around him. Sitting in a circle-like shape in Merlin's sitting room were the Knights of the Round Table, with his wife on his left and Merlin on his right. Across the circle, in between Gwaine and Lancelot were Reanna and Ciaran, new editions in a new generation in a new time.

Merlin and Arthur had called a meeting of the Round Table a few days after being reunited with Guinevere and Percival. Merlin said he had done some research over the past few days that he wanted to bring to their attention. Arthur wasn't sure what exactly he wanted to tell them, but he hoped that it would be informative.

Now that they were all seated Merlin seemed to clam up. He was pale and sweaty. Arthur hoped he wasn't having a panic attack like he had done months before when Arthur had first returned.

"Merlin?" he prodded gently. "What is it that you wanted to tell us?"

"I've been doing research in between my shifts," Merlin whispered. He cleared his throat. "Unfortunately it hasn't been as fruitful as I'd hoped. I still have no idea why the rest of you returned. It almost seems as if the prophecy was wrong."

"Who gave the prophecy?" Gwen asked.

"Kilgharrah," Merlin answered. "The Great Dragon." There was a pause as that information was digested.

"Getting away from the prophecy, do we know for sure that Morgana and Mordred have returned or are even going to return?" Leon asked practically.

Arthur saw Merlin and Reanna share a look. "It can be assumed," Merlin said slowly. "I can't think of any evil in the world that would warrant all of you returning."

"What about the terrorist groups that they're always talking about?" Lancelot asked. "Maybe we're back to bring world peace and Morgana and Mordred have nothing to do with it. Is that possible?"

Merlin opened his mouth but Reanna beat him to the answer. "Of course it's possible," she said, "but it's improbable. I know that they're back. Look, I've been having visions of a woman and a younger man, both of whom match the descriptions of Morgana and Mordred. I've been trying to use magic to find them but my magic isn't strong enough. So I managed to convince Dad to help me. We have an idea of where they're holing up but it's so far away and -"

"And I think the battle has to happen here," Merlin interrupted. Reanna looked put out. Obviously they'd had this conversation before.

"Why?" Percival asked.

"Why did you not feel their return like you did with some of ours?" Lancelot asked.

Merlin answered Percival's question first. "Because this is where magic is at its greatest and most powerful, not to mention where the battle happened the first time. And I don't know, Lancelot. It doesn't make any sense. None of it does."

"I actually might have a theory," Ciaran said.

"I'll take anything at this point," Merlin said. "Let's hear it."

Ciaran gave Merlin an odd look but continued. "You felt the magic shifting when Arthur and Gwaine came back. Arthur makes sense because your magic is so entwined with him but I don't know why you would have felt Gwaine as well. Unless, it was a coincidence and when Gwaine came back was also when Morgana and Mordred came back."

"Why didn't they show up at the lake?" Gwaine finally spoke.

"Because they weren't buried there," Merlin answered. "I made sure to bury all of you in Avalon Lake. Morgana and Mordred were just buried wherever. My magic is more sensitive to the lake. But maybe it is a coincidence, like Ciaran said. I don't know."

There was a pause in the conversation.

"You said it was far away," Leon reminded. "How far is far?"

"America far," Reanna said.

"What's America?" Gwen asked, confused.

"It's a giant powerful country across the ocean," Arthur answered, pleased that he knew an answer for a change.

"Across the ocean," Leon repeated slowly. "How'd we not know about it?"

"Yes," Merlin said. "Arthur's right."

"And the earth isn't flat," Ciaran added. Quite unhelpfully in Arthur's opinion.

"Ciaran!" Merlin reprimanded. "Not relevant."

"Actually it kind of is," Reanna interjected. "In pre-Columbus times it was thought that the earth was flat and you could just sail off the edge. Now we know that isn't true. America wasn't a country in your time; you wouldn't have known. It was just a land mass. You wouldn't have even thought it was possible. After all, wasn't the entire known to you?" she added sarcastically.

Merlin sighed and put his head in his hands. "I give up," he muttered.

"She's not wrong," Gwaine conceded with a smile.

"What state?" Ciaran asked.

"Texas," Merlin answered.

Ciaran chuckled. "Why would they go there?"

"What's wrong with it?" Elyan asked. "And what is a state?"

"A state is like a country, only difference is that the state government has to answer to the national government," Merlin said. "It's like a lord answering to a king."

"They control themselves but have to answer to a higher power," Arthur summarized.

"But what's specifically wrong with Texas?" Gwen asked.

"Nothing," Reanna answered. "It's just kind of funny. Texans are known for loyalty, which is something that I imagine neither Mordred nor Morgana has much of."

"They seem extremely loyal to each other," Gwen pointed out.

Reanna's brow crinkled. "You're defending them?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm pointing something out that you failed to see," Gwen said calmly. Arthur smiled at his wife's manner. She's always so calm and in control, he thought.

"I don't need to see it," Reanna shot back. "I don't want anything to make them seem less than monsters."

"Reanna, stop," Merlin interjected.

"They're not monsters, though," Gwen said. "They're humans."

"Humans who murdered your brother, husband and friends!" Reanna exclaimed.

"That's enough!" Arthur said loudly. "There is absolutely no need to argue here."

"We're all on the same side," Merlin said, trying to placate the two women.

Arthur sighed. This was not the first time in the past few days that Guinevere and Reanna had been at arms about something. The first time it was Guinevere reprimanding Reanna for swearing. The second time had been a difference about how to handle a situation, much like the argument Arthur had just diffused.

"Making them seem like humans will make it harder to kill them," Reanna said.

"Wait," Gwen said, "Who said we were going to kill them?"

"You don't want to?" Gwaine directed his question to Arthur.

"I never thought about it," Arthur said. "I suppose it would make sense to try to do something different than last time."

"So," Reanna interjected, looking at Guinevere, "you want to do nothing? Like last time? How well did that turn out for all of you?"

"Reanna, that's enough," Merlin said firmly. "If we can get them here without killing them maybe we can get them to see sense."

"You're grasping at straws here!" Reanna exclaimed. She looked right at Arthur. Her grey eyes seemed to bore into his soul. "Doing nothing is what got you killed centuries ago. Morgana and Mordred are in the same position as you. They know next to nothing about this world and how it operates. But you have one up on them. You have us," she gestured to Merlin, Ciaran and herself. "Back then, you only had swords and crossbows. Now we have guns, which are so much more reliable. Get one and it'll be so much easier to kill them. One shot and it's over for them." She looked at Merlin. "You know I'm right. There's no way Morgana or Mordred will change. They're both too soulless for that now. Killing them is the only way to keep everyone safe."

 _Safe._

Arthur laughed internally. He knew Reanna had hit the nail on the head. If there was one thing Merlin could not let go of, it was his desire to keep them all safe. He doesn't know if Reanna knows her father's weakness, but it certainly seems as if she will be getting her way. Especially because it seems like his knights are agreeing with her.

"I agree with the lass," Gwaine said. "The witch killed me. I would be happy to see her dead."

"I agree with Gwaine," Elyan said. Percival nodded his approval.

"Reanna's plan has merits," Leon granted. "I say we go along with it for now."

"I agree," Lancelot said.

"Seems like the decision has been made then," Arthur said. "We'll kill them. I just ask that I get the opportunity to speak with my sister first."

"Why?" Reanna asked.

"Of course, Arthur," Merlin said, silencing his daughter with a look. "It looks like we'll be heading to America. We can figure out the details later. I think we all need a break." Merlin fixed Reanna with a stare.

Slowly they dispersed. Percival and Lancelot went out back to practice. Gwaine made his way where Merlin kept his liquor. Arthur didn't even try to stop him. In fact, he might even join him. Leon was talking to Merlin quietly in the corner of the room. Probably discussing strategies, Arthur guessed. Reanna and Ciaran went outside.

"Arthur." Gwen caught his attention. "Is Reanna always that… combative?"

Arthur shook his head. "No, she isn't. She's not afraid to speak to her mind but I've only seen her show that much emotion only once before. It was in another argument, believe it or not."

"I can believe it," Gwen said. "I'm going to speak with Merlin. I have some questions about this new world to ask him. I'll see you later." With that Gwen easily slipped away and into Merlin and Leon's conversation.

Arthur debated about joining them but decided to get some fresh air. Some of the things Reanna had said had hit too close to home for him. Speaking of her, Arthur couldn't understand why she got so worked up. It wasn't like she was there when it all went down before.

Arthur got his answer ten minutes later.

He was walking around the perimeter of the house when he heard Ciaran's voice coming from behind a tree. It was quiet. Obviously he didn't want anyone listening in.

Which is exactly what Arthur decided he was going to do. He remembered how angry Ciaran got last time he had eavesdropped, so Arthur decided to keep as much distance as possible. He hid behind a tree about two down from where Ciaran and Reanna were.

" – that all about?" Ciaran asked.

"Morgana made Arthur's life hell," Reanna hissed. "I just don't see why he still manages to have any type of feeling other than hate for her."

"She's his sister," Ciaran responded. "They grew up together, like Merlin said."

Arthur knew Merlin told them stories of Camelot, but he hadn't realized Merlin had told them _everything._

"If I had someone making my life miserable like that I would want to do anything to get them to stop."

"Even," Ciaran faltered, "even kill them?"

"Yes," Reanna murmured.

"Are you thinking about Keegan?" Ciaran asked gently. Who's Keegan? Arthur wondered.

"Don't mention him!"

"I think you are," Ciaran went on. "Would you really kill him?"

There was a pause.

Reanna sighed. "Yes," she said. "I would."

"Okay," Ciaran said simply. The conversation was over apparently. Arthur heard them walking away and stayed crouched down by his tree until he could no longer hear their footsteps.

"Who's Keegan?" he asked himself.

 _Maybe he had something to do with when Reanna was attacked_ , a small corner of his brain told him. He decided to ask Merlin later, taking Ciaran's advice from months before.

Why had Arthur waited so long?

 **I'm sorry for the longer than normal wait and the crappier than normal chapter. I had bad writers block. So they're off to America! It's a crappy plot twist I know, but I needed to get the story moving some way. Please tell me what y'all think! And thank you to those of you who reviewed. It makes my day to hear your thoughts.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Um, before we start there could be some potentially triggering storytelling in this chapter so be warned. Turn back now if you can't handle it. I've marked where the story is with an asterisk (*) if anyone wants to skip it.**

 **And thank you to everyone who reviewed. Reading your comments is what helps me to update as fast as I can.**

 **Shout out to NerdGirlAlert for reviewing almost every chapter. Thank you!**

 **To hotxhotguy: In answer to your review, the pairings aren't super important to the storyline so I didn't see the need to put them. But, yes, now I have changed it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

Chapter 10

"Hey, Merlin," Arthur said, getting up from the dinner table, "can I talk to you?"

Merlin looked up from where he was reviewing their information for their travels to Texas. Ciaran was seated with him, but from Merlin's look of intense frustration, it appeared as though the boy was not helping one bit. Merlin put his papers down and stood up.

"Yes," he sighed. "Let's go somewhere less crowded."

Arthur chuckled. All the knights, minus Gwen, who was sleeping off a headache, where congregated with Reanna around the television in the sitting room. They were watching something called soccer. They'd had a game similar to it in Camelot but apparently it has evolved since then. Reanna and Ciaran, who were both avid fans of the sport, had explained the rules of the game to each of the knights as they returned. Gwaine, as expected, was the most excited. Leon liked to observe the teams' strategies and Elyan, like the others, just appreciated the game. Arthur himself didn't really get that involved in soccer. In his mind, give him a shield and a sword any day.

Merlin led Arthur outside, which is where everyone seemed to go to find some quiet. As they stepped out into the night air Arthur was struck by how different this time was than the time of Camelot. The air was different, the stars were different, and the very fabric of the earth was different. It was crazy.

"What did you want to talk about, Arthur?" Merlin asked. "Are you okay? You've been quiet the past few days."

Arthur sighed, his breath fogging in the cold night air. "I'm fine, Merlin," he said. "I just wanted to ask you about something Ciaran told me a while ago."

"Go ahead," Merlin said. "I'm all ears."

"You certainly are," Arthur joked, before becoming serious. "What happened to Reanna? Ciaran mentioned it after they had that big fight a few months ago. He said she was attacked…"

Merlin tensed visibly. "Why do you want to know?" he said roughly.

"I -" Arthur started, trying to find a reason besides his own curiosity. "I want to know if I can help," he said, finding it to be true. He really liked Reanna. Something about her reminded Arthur of himself. She was a better version of him at that age.

Merlin sighed loudly and leaned up against the stone wall of the house. "I don't think there is much you _can_ do to help," he said slowly. "Reanna won't talk about it. To anyone. Every time someone mentions what happened she shuts down and changes the subject or gets angry. It's been getting worse since you all returned and I _don't know why._ " Merlin slid down the wall and buried his face in his hands.

Arthur sat down next to him and pulled Merlin in for a hug. A blind man could see how much Reanna's stubbornness was affecting him. This was a father wanting to help his daughter but being unable to. Arthur couldn't imagine the feeling.

"She'll be alright, Merlin," he said firmly. "After everything calms down we'll help her. Maybe she's being stubborn because she doesn't want to get in the way," Arthur suggested, thinking that it was something he would do.

Merlin picked his head up. "That sounds like something she would do," he said ruefully.

"Merlin," Arthur said hesitatingly. "What exactly happened to her?"

 ***** Merlin took a deep breath. "She was attacked, Arthur, brutally. About a month before you returned a boy named Keegan McAllister and a couple of his friends cornered Reanna and Ciaran one day as they were coming back from the market. According to Ciaran, the boys jumped them, knocked him hard around the head and grabbed Reanna. Ciaran said that he tried to fight them off but they were too strong and they knocked him out. Next thing he remembers was waking up in a hospital bed with a concussion. I got a," Merlin choked on his words, blinking away tears. "I got a phone call at work from the police, telling me that my children are in the hospital. I freak out and start panicking, so one of my colleagues had to drive me. I get there and Ciaran is unconscious on a bed and Reanna is screaming for the nurses to get away from her. I manage to calm her down enough so that the nurses can run their tests. Then I realized what they were testing for and I felt this icy coldness grip me by the throat." Merlin looked at Arthur and tears started falling. "They were testing her for rape, Arthur." Merlin started sobbing. "She wasn't, but the thought that she could have been…." *****

Arthur pulled his best friend in for another hug. Obviously Merlin had never had someone to talk to about this. All his emotions had been building up for months and he'd had to worry about all of them and not his daughter. Arthur felt guilty for taking that away from him.

"She'll be okay, Merlin," he whispered. "Reanna is stubborn. She won't let this break her."

Merlin cried for a few more minutes before falling silent. He disentangled himself from Arthur and wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be," Arthur said. "Your reaction is definitely warranted. If anything I should be sorry for bringing it up."

They sat there for a few minutes, looking at the stars and watching their breath before Merlin got to his feet and offered his hand to Arthur, which he took. And together they walked back inside the house, with Merlin's shoulders a little lighter and Arthur's a little heavier.

* * *

"What are we going to do about passports?" Ciaran asked one morning before school.

"Dammit," Merlin swore, running around looking for his shoes, which he found under the pile of blankets that was Gwaine. "I didn't think of that. I'll conjure some up later."

"You can do that?" Ciaran asked excitedly.

"Yeah," Merlin said distractedly.

"Can you make me a fake ID?" he asked. Reanna laughed from the kitchen table, which was covered in armor and clothing.

"Yeah, sure – wait, no," Merlin said. "Why do you want a fake ID? You only have a few months left until you're 18."

"Yeah," Ciaran shrugged, grabbing his backpack. "I just thought you could make me 21."

"You're not drinking when we're in America," Merlin said. "I can't even believe I'm letting you come."

"Yeah, I can't believe it either. Thank God for Christmas break."

"Ok, smartass," Merlin said fondly. "You're almost late for your bus. You better hurry."

Ciaran and Reanna were out the door a moment later, else they be forced to walk to school in the heavily falling snow. Merlin left a minute later, his car's headlights illuminating the darkened house for a moment. Arthur, Gwen and the knights were on their own.

* * *

"What are you all going to do today?" Gwen inquired over lunch a few hours later.

"Not sure," Gwaine muttered into his sandwich. "Probably get drunk."

"You can't do that every day," Percival protested.

"Watch me," Gwaine retorted.

"Merlin gave me a book on Texas," Leon said. "I'm going to read it."

"Tell me what you find out," Gwaine said.

"Elyan and I are going to train," Lancelot said.

"Arthur, will you come on a walk with me?" Gwen asked.

"Hmm? What?" Arthur looked up. "Oh, yes, Guinevere. Of course."

"You didn't hear a word we just said, did you?" his wife accused.

"No?" It came out like a question.

Gwen sighed. "You're coming on a walk to the lake with me after lunch."

"Yes, dear."

Arthur and Gwen finished their lunches and cleared their plates. Arthur grabbed his jacket and helped Gwen into hers, one she was borrowing from Ciaran, because Reanna's were too small for her. Arthur led them to the lake, a path he had taken so many times he could do it with his eyes closed.

They walked in silence for a while before Guinevere spoke. "Are you all right, Arthur?" she asked.

Arthur nodded, remembering Merlin asking him the same thing. "I'm fine," he told her. Arthur decided to not tell Gwen about what Merlin told him about Reanna.

Gwen didn't look convinced. "As long as you're sure." She stopped by the edge of the lake and looked at the dilapidated church on the other bank. "This place is so different to Camelot yet it's still the same."

"What do you mean?"

"Surely you've noticed?" Gwen asked. "The air is thicker, the skies are different. The lake looks the same. I can almost fool myself into thinking that I'm back in Camelot, but then I remember and the illusion is broken."

"Guinevere," Arthur said, taking her hands. There were tears in her eyes. "This place isn't Camelot. Camelot… doesn't exist anymore. This is a new time. Think of it as a new adventure."

"You're wrong, Arthur," she said. "Camelot does still exist." She put her hand over his heart. "It exists in here. _You_ are Camelot, Arthur. Nothing, no matter where or when you are, can change that."

Arthur looked at his wife, remembering all the reasons he fell in love with her. "I love you," he said simply.

"I love you, too." She kissed him. They watched the lake, content to be in each other's company.

"Do you know how we are getting to America?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Merlin said by airplane," Arthur replied. "An airplane is a long metal tube that flies in the air."

"Sounds… lovely," Gwen said, even though it sounded anything but.

"It doesn't," Arthur said frankly.

"No," Gwen agreed. "It doesn't." They descended into a fit of helpless giggles.

Arthur breathed in a lungful of crisp air. He was so glad that Guinevere was back, as well as his knights. It finally felt like something was happening. Maybe together they can get rid of the threat that is Morgana and Mordred. Arthur wanted this to be over with quickly, so he can start living his life again, now that he was given a second chance at it.

"We should go back," he said eventually. "Make sure to keep Gwaine away from the liquor."

They walked together, hand in hand, to the house.

* * *

Arthur passed the next few hours sparring with Leon. Percival worked on his own, trying to get his endurance back up being dead for over a thousand years. Gwen started reading a book Reanna gave her. It was called Pride and Prejudice. Reanna thought she would like it.

Gwaine had, unfortunately, gotten into the alcohol. Arthur just left him to it, deciding to let the knight deal with the consequences the next day. The rest of the knights were watching soccer on the television again. Lancelot was reading Leon's book on Texas.

Reanna and Ciaran walked in a little while later, both with bright smiles on their faces.

"What's got you two so happy?" Elyan asked.

"School's out for two weeks," Ciaran answered, grabbing a soda and flopping on the couch next to Lancelot.

"We have two weeks break for Christmas and New Year's," Reanna elaborated, heading upstairs with her backpack. She came down a few minutes later.

"Is Merlin coming back here early?" Ciaran asked.

"That's what he said," Reanna replied. "Whether he does or not… we'll see."

"Does Merlin stay out late often?" Percival inquired.

"Sometimes," Reanna said. "He'll often stay later because he was talking to one of the kids and he got carried away playing or reading to them or something. Then he has to do actual work he didn't get to during the day."

"Merlin doesn't seem to have changed much," Leon commented.

"What do you mean?" Reanna looked confused.

"Merlin loves children." Arthur took over. "Whenever he wasn't working for me or Gaius, and often even when he was, he would take time to play with the children in the lower town. They loved him."

"Can you tell me what he was like? Back in Camelot?" Reanna asked. Ciaran came to attention, tearing his eyes away from the game.

Arthur himself settled in for a long story. "Merlin is the bravest man I have ever met. Don't forget that. But we did not get off to a good start…."

* * *

 **I feel like Merlin would've gotten along with children, don't you? Please review and tell me what you thought. Next chapter should see the gang in Texas.**


	12. Chapter 11

**I'm so sorry about the long wait. I have no excuse except having little motivation to anything. This one is a little longer than normal so I hope that makes up for it.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own** ** _Merlin_**

Chapter 11

Reanna's POV

"Alright, people!" Merlin shouted from the kitchen. "Gather round! Listen up!"

Reanna put her book down and swung herself off the couch. She flicked Gwaine's ear as she passed where he was sleeping on a chair. He flinched, waking from his drunken sleep. The beer bottle nestled in the crook of his arm dropped to the floor. Reanna caught it just before it smashed. She handed it back to Gwaine silently.

Arthur, Gwen and the rest of the knights were already seated. Arthur and Leon were pouring over maps. The others were eating. Reanna sat down next to Lancelot and Percival, who were by far her favorite knights. Ciaran entered a moment later and took a seat next to Arthur.

"Now that we are all gathered here," Merlin started, "I wanted to explain a little about how this process will work. Texas is one of the southernmost states in America, which is an ocean away. So we have to take an airplane. An airplane is a flying machine that is capable of traveling great distances in a matter of hours. But there is much security surrounding airplanes. I won't explain everything, but just follow my lead and do what I do and you will be fine."

"Should be," Ciaran corrected, coughing into his fist. Merlin scowled at him.

"What is this security you speak of?" Lancelot asked.

"It's not much," Reanna spoke up. "They'll scan your shoes, so you'll have to take them off and you walk through a metal detector, which is like a gate, I guess. As the name implies it detects metal, but I don't know to do about your swords."

"I have a spell," Merlin cut in.

Reanna nodded. "That is almost too perfect. But, yeah, they'll scan you and your shoes and any backpacks and stuff you have. Just go quickly and you'll be fine."

"Why do they do this?" Elyan asked. "Isn't it an invasion of privacy?"

Ciaran raised an eyebrow. Reanna decided to let him answer the knight's question. "I see you've been brushing up on modern rights," he said cheekily. "It's for protection. Security's only been around for about sixteen years. There was an… incident* in America concerning an airplane and a lot of people died. Security is trying to stop that from happening again. Although they're doing a pretty crap job of it."

"Ciaran!" Merlin reproached.

"What happened?" Gwen asked.

"You don't need to know," Reanna said. "In fact, it's better if you don't. It's a sensitive subject for Americans and we don't need you to accidentally say something." Reanna realized she was being a little harsh. She just really wanted everything to go well.

"But what happened?" Arthur asked. He looked to Merlin for an answer.

Merlin looked uncomfortable. "I actually agree with Reanna on this one. I'll explain after this is all over if you still really want to know." Arthur looked dissatisfied but dropped the subject. Merlin clapped his hands. "Get lots of sleep tonight. It will take about 9 hours to travel to Texas. We'll land in the city of Dallas and go from there."

"Is that where Morgana is?" Gwaine questioned.

Merlin nodded. "Provided she hasn't moved in the last day, yes. Get some rest. We leave at five o'clock."

That called an end to the war meeting, as Reanna dubbed it in her head. It was only 9 p.m., but she decided to shower and crash early. She doubted she would be able to sleep on the plane. It's better that way, she thought. If she were awake then she could help keep the knights calm. Reanna was certain at least a few wouldn't take to being in the air. She smirked at the thought of the world's finest soldiers freaking out about flying.

Reanna showered quickly and pulled on shorts and a t-shirt. She examined herself in her mirror. She was pale and there were deep bags under eyes, showing the amount of sleep she hasn't gotten. She was honestly shocked that her father hadn't noticed yet. She supposed he was too busy worrying about Morgana to worry about her. Even so, makeup can only do so much. Reanna noticed that the red ends of her hair were beginning to turn brown. She'd have to re-dye it soon. Maybe she'd do blue this time. Or green. Red is turning out to be too Pendragon-y for her.

Reanna sighed and dragged a hand over her face. She needed to stop being so depressing. It wasn't helping anyone. In fact, she'd say it was weighing everyone down. As much as Merlin might call them otherwise, Reanna knew the knights were not idiots. Gwaine, maybe, but even he can be observant when he wants to be. Reanna had seen them giving her odd looks whenever she went into one of her funks. She was also sure Merlin had told Arthur something. There was a night that Arthur and Merlin had gone outside to talk and were out for a long time. She noticed that after they came back inside, Merlin looked like he'd been crying and Arthur didn't stop watching her the rest of the night. It didn't take much to figure out that Merlin told Arthur what happened to her and Ciaran. It took all her willpower to not be angry with him.

Although, admittedly, her anger was appeased when Arthur told her about Merlin in Camelot. She finally got to understand who her father was. What made him act the way he does and what shaped his personality. In the first fifteen minutes she talked to Arthur she learned more about her father than she had in fifteen years of living with him.

Reanna sighed and went into her room, which was joined to her bedroom. She pulled out a duffle bag and started to pack.

* * *

 _Arthur's POV_

Arthur was woken by soft footsteps pattering down the stairs. He blearily opened one eye and looked at the digital clock on the table. 3:53 a.m. He watched a darkened figure slowly pick their way across the room, trying to avoid various sleeping knights. Arthur wondered who it was. He realized it was Ciaran as the boy passed his and Gwen's spot on the floor (Merlin didn't have room for anyone anywhere else other than the living room). Ciaran was muttering something under his breath. Arthur strained to hear.

"Stupid airplane… rather take a boat." Arthur disentangled himself from Guinevere and carefully climbed to his feet. He looked around the corner of the kitchen and saw the cool blue of the refrigerator light up Ciaran's face. The boy reached into the fridge and pulled out a bottle of something. Arthur couldn't see what the bottle was full of.

Ciaran turned around and Arthur saw it was a bottle of beer. He decided to intervene. Arthur highly doubted that Merlin would appreciate Ciaran downing the modern equivalent of ale.

"Ciaran," Arthur said, stepping into the kitchen. Ciaran set the bottle down and sighed.

"What do you want, Arthur?" Ciaran asked wearily.

"Why are you drinking?" Arthur answered with a question of his own.

"I," Ciaran hesitated, "I don't like flying. I was hoping if I had a buzz then getting through the flight would be easier."

"Getting drunk will make it worse," Arthur said. "And Merlin wouldn't be happy."

Ciaran snorted. "That's an understatement. He'd be pissed beyond imagining, mate."

Arthur didn't doubt that. "Why do you not like to fly?"

Ciaran ran his fingers through his hair. "I've only been on a plane one in my life and I didn't like it. I prefer my feet on a ground, thank you very much."

Arthur thought for a moment. He didn't disagree with Ciaran. But he knew that Ciaran was hiding something. "Does this have anything to do with what happened in America? Merlin seemed scared when you talked about it."

Ciaran shrugged. "It's not like I remember it much, but there's always the thought in the back of my mind. But I just don't like flying. Humans weren't meant to fly, mate. That's why we have feet not wings."

Arthur took the beer from Ciaran. "Humans shouldn't fly," he agreed. "And you shouldn't drink." Arthur placed the beer bottle back in the fridge.

Ciaran sighed and grabbed a bottle of water instead. "I still think alcohol would've made it easier."

"Look at Gwaine," Arthur said. "Alcohol has never worked for him."

"I can still hope," Ciaran said, before muttering goodnight and stalking away.

Arthur shook his head at Ciaran's admittedly worrying antics and went to lie back down. Nothing about the boy makes sense, he thought before falling asleep to the sound of his wife's breathing.

* * *

Arthur woke to a sharp kick in the side. He flinched and groaned when he opened his eyes and saw Merlin leaning over him. Gwen was nowhere in sight. Her side of the blanket was cold.

"Let's have you, lazy daisy," Merlin said, smiling.

"That is no way to wake your king," Arthur snarked. Merlin just smirked and dragged him to his feet. Arthur looked around the mess that was Merlin's sitting room. There were blankets and pillows and various items of clothing and weapons strewn across the floor and on the furniture. Bags were scattered around the floor, holding everything that they would need for the next week. There was not a knight in sight.

"You overslept," Merlin said. "Everyone else has already eaten."

"Why didn't anyone wake me?" Arthur asked indignantly.

"I thought you would need your sleep." Merlin handed him a shirt and a pair of jeans. "I forgot to mention yesterday, it's cold here right now, but in Texas it's quite warm. Make sure you didn't pack anything too heavy."

"Yes, sire," Arthur barked sarcastically. Merlin rolled his eyes.

"Eat," he said. Arthur went into the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the fridge. He bit into it as he went about collecting his things. Finishing the apple, Arthur threw the core into the compost bin and went to take a shower.

Ten minutes he was dressed and drying his hair with a towel. He heard shouts of his name ("Hurry your royal ass up!" Thanks, Ciaran, Arthur thought dryly.), and hastened to grab his bag and pull his shoes on. Merlin piled everyone in a large automobile he had rented, the warlock and Reanna in the front and everyone else fought for seats in the back. It wasn't the first time Arthur had been in an automobile, but he was by no means comfortable in them. Neither were the knights, if their green faces were anything to go by.

It took Merlin about thirty minutes to drive to the airport. Their flight was departing from terminal 5, Merlin said, whatever the hell that meant. Merlin parked, paid for the parking** and led them inside. Arthur held Gwen's hand, ignoring the odd looks they were getting. After all, it wasn't every day that you saw six burly men, two teenagers, one woman and _Merlin_ walking into an airport. A very loud, very large and very bright airport.

"It's so big," Elyan muttered, unconsciously echoing Arthur's thoughts.

"If you think this is big," Ciaran started, "the Dallas airport is even bigger. I read that the airport and its grounds are larger than Manhattan Island." *** Elyan just stared, as though he knew what Ciaran was talking about.

Merlin, Reanna and Ciaran ushered them through security with little fuss. For once, everything went swimmingly. The knights behaved and managed to keep their questions to themselves (and yes, this included Arthur). No one got stopped for any reason and Merlin's fears were quenched. Almost. Arthur heard him muttering about having to survive the flight first. Arthur assumed the warlock was joking. He hoped.

Merlin directed them to the terminal to wait. They hadn't been sitting long however before Merlin started giving them last words of advice.

"I recommend going to the bathroom before he board," he began. "It's a long flight and the bathrooms on the plane are horrendous. Super small and uncomfortable. Get some sleep on the plane. We leave here at 10:00 a.m. but we will arrive in Dallas at about 1:00 in the afternoon. The difference in the sun's positioning will leave you tired and unable to sleep - "

"The time difference will screw with you," Ciaran summed up. Gwaine smothered a laugh while the others just managed small nervous smiles. Just by looking around, Arthur saw that his knights and Gwen were pale and nervous, and he had to admit he was as well. They were about to confine themselves to a metal deathtrap for nine hours. One that looked so heavy even magic couldn't lift it. Arthur didn't know how it worked.

Sometimes he wished Merlin would explain a bit more.

Arthur studies Ciaran as he fell silent. The boy was pale – more than normal – and kept wringing his hands, which, Arthur noticed, were trembling. Looks like he wasn't joking when he said he didn't like flying.

They waited about ten more minutes – each becoming more and more nervous, by the looks of it – before their group was called to board the plane.

"Group B, to board," said an emotionless voice. "Group B to board."

Leon looked around in wonder. "Where'd that come from?" he asked. "I heard a voice, but no one spoke."

"That's called an intercom," Reanna said. "It's used to make your voice louder and be heard in more places."

"Amazing!" Leon gushed.

Merlin went in the front on their group and quickly handed over some papers to the person standing there. The person held each paper individually under an odd metal contraption that emitted a red light and buzzing noise before waving each member through. The attendant asked them each their names before they entered. Merlin had sent some of them up with fake names, because some names are too recognizable or too old-fashioned. For example, Percival became Percy. Nothing too crazy. Gwaine became Greg. Lancelot was Lance. Leon was Leo and Elyan had his name changed to Emmett. Merlin became Matt. Arthur kept his name and Guinevere went by Gwen.

"Arthur and Gwen, huh?" the attendant asked. Merlin shot them an alarmed look.

"Yes," Arthur answered.

"Like the legend?" she laughed. "That's quite the coincidence."

"Yes," Arthur muttered quickly. "Quite the coincidence. "They quickly entered the plane.

Merlin didn't give them any time to look around before directing to where they were to sit. They occupied ten seats on the left side of the plane. The seats looked uncomfortable and close together. Merlin sat next to Lancelot, Arthur and Gwen behind them. Behind the king and queen were Reanna and Leon. Behind them sat Percival and Gwaine; and last came Ciaran and Elyan.

Arthur turned his head and looked out the small window next to him. He saw people in bright orange tunics running around below them. Arthur smirked, thinking they looked like ants.

"What are you laughing at?" Gwen saw his smile.

"The people," Arthur answered, pointing. "They obviously are working on the plane but I think they look like ants." Gwen giggled and rested her head on his arm.

"This is insane," she said quietly. "It's so small in here. I feel like the walls are closing in."

Arthur wrapped his arm around her. "I know, Guinevere. Once we leave, try to get some sleep. It'll help, I think."

"You only believe because Merlin told you," Gwen teased.

"I am perfectly capable of thinking on my own, thank you very much," Arthur retorted.

"No, you're not." Merlin had turned around and joined their conversation. He handed a book to Arthur and one to Gwen. "In case you get bored," he said. "I've already given the others theirs."

The flight attendant started to go over the safety checks and Arthur tried to commit it all to memory. Just in case, he told himself. After he had finished Arthur studied the book in his hands. It wasn't too long. Just over three hundred pages. It was called _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone._ Arthur didn't know what it was about, but he supposed he was going to find out. He didn't fancy spending nine hours with nothing to do but stare out a tiny window.

"What book did you get?" he asked Guinevere.

"Romeo and Juliet," she answered, staring at the plain cover. "It's a love story apparently. I think I'll sleep first, though."

"Good idea," Arthur agreed. The plane started to move. Arthur heard Gwaine let out a curse from two rows back, only to be shushed by a mother somewhere in the middle aisle.

"Oh, God," Arthur muttered as the plane picked up speed. He grabbed the armrest next to him and felt his wife grab his arm tightly. The front wheels left the ground, followed by the back wheels. The plane lifted up, going higher and higher each passing minute. Soon Arthur felt the plane start to level out. He relaxed, somewhat content in the knowledge that they weren't going to fall out of the sky.

Arthur sighed and opened his book. Gwen laid her head on his shoulder. Looks like they were on their way to Morgana.

* * *

 ***In case anyone didn't guess what incident I'm referring to, I'm talking about the attacks on September 11, 2001.**

 **** Do you have to pay for terminal parking in England?**

 ***** Yes, this is true.**

 **Is there anything y'all would like to see happen? Or any characters y'all wish to see more of? Or any character POV y'all want to see?**


	13. Chapter 12

**Well, I'd like to apologize for the wait. I've started school and the homework load already is off the charts, ugh. WHAP in particular is a killer. I don't know when the next chapter will come out. I'm crossing my fingers for sometime in the next month lol. I'm planning to have two or three more chapters before calling this story finished. Thank you to everyone who reviewed!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

Chapter 12

Arthur was roused from his sleep as the plane rumbled and descended a few feet. His book, weakly clasped in his lap, fell to the floor with a dull thump. Arthur's stomach dropped.

"Shit!" he cursed. "What was that?"

"Turbulence," Merlin said, without turning around in his seat.

"What's that?"

Merlin thought for a moment. "An air pocket."

"An air pocket," Arthur repeated, disbelieving.

"We went through a cloud," Merlin explained. "Possibly. I don't know the exact science behind it."

"Great." Arthur cleared his throat, pretending to be less anxious then he actually was. He looked out the window, expecting to still see the unending blue of the Atlantic Ocean, but was instead surprised to see the muted greens and browns of land. "How far do we have to go?"

"About 3 more hours," the warlock said. "According to the pilot, at least. He said we're over Alabama."

"I can't wait to get off this damn airplane," Arthur muttered, flipping open his book, trying to distract himself. He looked over at Guinevere, who was still asleep, then stared back down at the book. He was on page 86, which found Harry having just left Diagon Alley for the first time.

* * *

Arthur had gotten through 100 more pages before the plane landed. Guinevere had woken as the plane started to descend, stating that her ears hurt. Merlin explained that that was because of the plane's descent. He said the change in pressure is happening too fast for our ears to adjust comfortably. He advised her to drink water.

After surviving the landing, which Arthur swore at one point they were going to crash into the ground, Merlin led them off the plane and into the airport. Arthur saw no difference between this airport and the one in London, except for the feeling of mugginess in the air. His shirt stuck to his skin and the straps of his carry-on backpack fixed themselves to his neck.

"Wait here," Merlin said. "I'm going to rent a car. Don't wander off and don't do anything stupid." They stood in silence for a few minutes, just observing the area around them. Of course Gwaine had to go and ruin the peace and quiet.

"I thought you said it was winter here," Gwaine complained, pulling his long hair up with a hair tie Reanna handed him. Her own hair was messily put up on the top of her head.

"It is winter," Ciaran agreed. "Texas is just going through a damn weird weather pattern right now."

Seeing everyone's confused looks, Reanna elaborated, "He means that while it's normally warm here all year round, it is warmer than normal this year. I read online that it's supposed to be about 90 degrees Fahrenheit on Christmas, when the normal temperature is about 30 degrees Fahrenheit. That's 32 and -1 degrees Celsius respectively."

Ciaran chuckled. "Can you be any more of a walking encyclopedia?" Reanna blushed but didn't answer.

Arthur noticed Gwen rubbing her ears. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"My ears still hurt," she answered. "But I handle it."

"I'll ask Merlin is he can help when we get to wherever it is that we're going," Arthur said. He put his arm around Guinevere, rubbing her shoulder, hoping to offer her some comfort. He couldn't stand to see her in pain.

A few minutes later a large black vehicle drove up to them at the curb. One of the windows rolled down in the front. "Get in!" Merlin called. They piled in, squeezing in between their loaded backpacks.

"What kind of car is this?" Ciaran asked, sitting up front with Merlin.

"It's a Chevrolet, I believe," Merlin responded.

"It's backwards," Elyan pointed out. On further inspection Arthur realized he was right. In England Merlin sat on the right side while he was driving. In Texas, however, he was sitting on the left.

"Yeah, Americans drive on the right side of the road," Reanna said.

"Freaky," Gwaine muttered.

With a call of, "Buckle up! I don't want a ticket!" Merlin pulled out and they were off.

* * *

"You can't take the easy way out," Reanna said. "You can't kill Morgana." She paced up and down in front of the television in her room. It was only two hours after they had landed. Ciaran was in the room he and Elyan were sharing. Gwen was asleep in her and Arthur's room. Elyan, Percival and Lancelot were exploring the hotel, much to the irritation of Merlin. Arthur, Merlin, Gwaine, Leon and Reanna were having a heated discussion in the room that Reanna and Leon were sharing, (Merlin's reasoning being that Leon was the least likely to try anything with his daughter. Gwaine had been particularly affronted at that statement, since he knew Merlin was referring to him).

"Why not?" Gwaine questioned. "That bitch tortured and killed me. I want some revenge."

"Gwaine has a point, Reanna," Leon said softly. "Morgana did so much bad, she deserves her due."

"This is what being dead has done to you guys? Are you kidding?" she asked. "I mean are you actually kidding?"

"Reanna, calm down," Merlin said, holding his hands out as if to placate her. "Explain yourself."

"This is too black and white," she explained. "Camelot is more than this."

"You don't know anything," Gwaine said hotly, equally as passionate as Reanna. "You weren't alive back then!"

"No, but I might as well have been!" the girl retorted. "I've spent my whole life hearing stories about the nobility of the Knights of Camelot. And for what? For you to become murderers?"

"It's not like we haven't killed before," Arthur said.

Reanna glared at him. "You've all been given a second chance! Don't you see how lucky you are? This is a chance to fix the mistakes of your past. Don't let history repeat itself. History ended with Arthur dying. Do you want that again?" she addressed Merlin.

"Of course not," he started.

"So I have an idea." She hastened over to her backpack where she pulled out a thick, leather bound book.

"That's one of my spell books," Merlin pointed out. Quite unnecessarily, in Arthur's opinion.

"Yes," Reanna said. "I stole it." She sent her father a glare, as if daring him to argue. He didn't rise to the bait. "I spent the flight looking through this. I think I might have found a spell that, instead of killing Morgana, will bind her spirit to an object of our choosing. That way we can take her back to England and figure out what to do with her there."

"Like Cornelius Sigan," Merlin muttered.

"The sorcerer?" Arthur asked, surprised. "He used this spell?"

"Yes," Merlin answered. "And when his gem was stolen by that thief Cedric-" Arthur decided not to comment, "-his spirit rose and took over his body. He controlled those creatures and told them to attack Camelot. I stopped Sigan using a spell similar to this. But I'm not sure this is the way to go."

"Why not?" Reanna looked about ready to explode.

"You wouldn't understand, Reanna," Merlin said. "Morgana is too dangerous for this world."

Reanna nodded, visibly gritting her teeth. "Alright. Fine," she ground out. "Do it your way. But when it blows up in your face, remember it's all your fault!" She stormed out of the room and Arthur heard her enter Ciaran's room next door. The boy had claimed jet lag as soon as they landed and went to lie down.

Merlin just sat there with a stunned and hurt expression on his face. He looked shocked. Not that Arthur blamed him. That was the most emotion he'd seen from Reanna in months. He wondered where it came from.

"Where'd I go wrong with her?" Merlin muttered.

"You didn't go wrong, mate," Leon consoled. "She's just headstrong. She'll come around. You'll see." Arthur noticed that his first knight didn't sound too sure of himself.

"No," Merlin said slowly. "I don't think she will."

The knights left the room, Gwaine fuming and ready for a drink and Leon calm and collected as always.

"I'll be back later," Leon whispered as he closed the door, eyes flicking to Merlin, who was sitting on the bed with his head in his hands and shoulders curled in.

Arthur had to agree with both Merlin and Reanna. Arthur didn't think that Reanna would change her position after a night of rest. He also agreed that they couldn't do what they did with Morgana last time again. But if he was honest with himself – which he really didn't want to be – than Arthur really didn't want to kill Morgana. It was hard enough to watch Merlin kill her while he was laying there dying a thousand and more years ago.

But Arthur didn't see how trapping her spirit would do them any good. Keeping her trapped forever sounded like a good option, but Merlin was right, Morgana is too dangerous for this world. Arthur supposed that h would have to deal with it one last time and kill her for good. But that only left one thing…

"How are we going to find Morgana?" Arthur asked Merlin.

"I don't know exactly," the warlock answered softly. "I'll try a spell. We should get some sleep first though. I need to find the others." Merlin got up and distractedly went around the room trying to find his key.

"Merlin," Arthur called. He stood up and put his hands on Merlin's shoulders. The king forcibly sat Merlin down on the bed. "I'll go find them. You stay here and rest, or go to your own room. Just… rest," he repeated slowly.

Merlin looked up at him with tear filled eyes. Arthur was growing concerned over him. Merlin said nothing, just got up and left the room. Arthur followed him to the door and watched him slowly open his own door, ignoring the younger man's shaking shoulders.

After Merlin's door shut and locked, Arthur sighed and headed to the elevators. He pressed the call button for one, thankful he remembered how Ciaran did it on their way up. Entering the elevator, Arthur sighed again. It was becoming a dreadful habit.

Riding slowly down gave Arthur some time to think of where the three other knights had gone. He didn't think they would have left the hotel without telling anyone, but even still, the hotel was very large. Arthur got off the elevator, hands in his pockets, not looking where he was going.

He ran hard into someone as he entered the lobby. Arthur looked up.

"Arthur!"

"Elyan!" Arthur had run right into one of the very people he was looking for! But where are Lancelot and Percival? "Where are the others?"

Elyan was pale. "We found her. Morgana."

Arthur felt his eyes widen comically. "That seems too easy," he said.

"It might be a trap," Elyan agreed. "Lancelot and Percival are watching her. They sent me to get the others."

"Where are they?" Now that Morgana was near, Arthur had to see her.

"Just outside the hotel. There's a line of thick bushes. That's where they are," Elyan answered.

"You go get Merlin and the others," Arthur commanded, falling into his role as leader. "Don't wake Guinevere, I don't want her hurt. Bring them down and bring weapons."

"Yes, sire," Elyan said and dashed off. Arthur, on the other hand, ran out the spinning doors and frantically searched for Percival's broad shoulders or the bush line, or both. The king found the bush line first. Sprinting over, he found his two knights crouched down, whispering intently.

"Arthur." Lancelot had noticed him first. "Where's Merlin?"

"Elyan went to get them," Arthur said. "Where's Morgana?"

Lancelot pointed ahead. On the other side of the bushes was a small café. There were about a dozen tables spread out under colorful umbrellas. Sitting under a red one was Morgana, looking as beautiful as ever. She was wearing a long black dress with no sleeves and her hair appeared to have been brushed. It was silky straight, pulled back into a long braid. She was sitting opposite a man with light brown hair and round glasses. He was wearing a plaid shirt, much like the one Percival was wearing. They appeared to be in a heated discussion.

"Can you tell what they're saying?" Arthur asked.

"No," Lancelot answered. "They're too far away."

Arthur was so focused on Morgana that he didn't see Merlin sneak up behind him. "Arthur!" Merlin hissed. Arthur jumped, startled.

" _Mer_ lin," he hissed. "Where are the others?"

Merlin shoved Excalibur into Arthur's hands. Arthur wondered for a second how he got that out of the hotel without anybody noticing a three foot long sword. "I sent them around back of the café," Merlin answered. "Reanna is with them. Figured they could use some magic if this goes south." Arthur nodded.

"What do you want us to do, Arthur?" Percival asked.

Arthur thought for a moment. What did he want to do? "We'll watch them until they leave. Then I want Gwaine, Reanna and myself to trail them. The rest of you stay here until we find where they're staying."

"Why Reanna?" Merlin asked. He sounded apprehensive. Arthur didn't blame him.

"Because we might need someone Morgana won't recognize to go talk to her at some point," Arthur pointed out. "I'm just thinking in advance."

"I hate that you're right," Merlin muttered. "But if you think that I'm letting Reanna go without me, you're sorely mistaken."

Arthur sighed internally. "Merlin, I need you to stay here and shore up our defenses. We have no idea how big this could get. We need to make sure that the people are safe."

"I can do that while we're trailing her!"

"Alright, fine." Arthur knew a losing fight when he saw one. "Just try not to do anything stupid," he said, throwing Merlin's words from earlier back at him.

Merlin gave him a cheeky grin. "Me, stupid? Never."

"I need you to go collect Reanna and Gwaine, Merlin," Arthur said. "Meet me here when you've done it. Lancelot, Percival, I want you to go with him and stay with the others."

"Sire," Lancelot said. The three men crept away quickly.

Arthur turned back to Morgana. She was still talking to the other man.

 _The game is on, Morgana,_ he thought. _The game is on._

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Please tell me y'all's thoughts. Is there anyone's point of view y'all would like to see or any character y'all'd like to see more of?**


	14. Chapter 13

**Sorry for the wait y'all. I've been super busy with school, choir and tests. I auditioned for the Texas All-State choir a few weeks ago. I got the 2nd-alternate, so I didn't technically make the cut but I'm still happy with the result, since it was my first time auditioning for anything. I'm auditioning for the 9/10 Honor Choir in two weeks and I'm super nervous. I was also failing chemistry, so I was working to get that grade up lol. And AP world history is just kicking my ass.**

 **Sorry for the rant. Let's get on with the story! This one is super long to make up for my absence.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Merlin**

Chapter 13

Arthur growled in frustration. This chase was leading them nowhere. They'd been trailing Morgana and her companion (whose gait looked very familiar to Arthur) for only a few hours, but the amount of people around and the heat were starting to get to Arthur. If he heard the word "y'all", saw a cow or was offered a beer by a cowboy one more time, he thought he would go crazy. At least they didn't have to worry about people thinking _they_ were crazy. Reanna had cast a spell to disguise their weapons, so no one would notice gleaming swords being carried by foreigners. He assumed that wouldn't have gone over well with the locals, but considering he just passed a man who had a gun strapped very visibly to his side, Arthur wasn't so sure.

"When are they going to stop?" Gwaine muttered. "Morgana and Glasses have been walking forever."

"Maybe they know we're trailing them," Merlin said. "They might be trying to shake us."

"No," Reanna disagreed. "If she was trying to lose us then she's doing a very bad job of it. Maybe she's trying to bore us so much that we'll leave."

"I doubt that," Arthur said. "Morgana's up to something. I just don't know what."

"Maybe she's trying to lead us somewhere, then," Reanna suggested.

"Into a trap," Gwaine said.

"Possibly," Arthur agreed.

"Look!" Merlin interjected. "They're splitting up!"

Arthur trained his eyes on the pair. Merlin was right – Morgana and "Glasses" had parted ways. The man forked to the left while Morgana disappeared into the crowd swarming out of a barbeque restaurant.

"Quick!" Arthur said. "Merlin and I go after Morgana. Gwaine and Reanna follow Glasses."

Merlin looked about ready to argue, but Gwaine cut in, "I'll protect her, Merlin. Go!" he gave Merlin a push toward Arthur before running off with Reanna in tow.

Arthur grabbed Merlin's arm and dragged him along, cutting in between people, trying to keep the man in sight.

"Arthur!" Merlin said loudly. "Arthur!"

"What?" Arthur snapped.

"I can use my magic to track her," Merlin whispered, mindful of the people around them. "But you need to _slow down._ " Arthur came to a stop, suddenly sheepish.

"Sorry, Merlin," he said. "I sometimes forget you can do magic." The _because you never told me_ went unsaid, although it was understood, if Merlin's raised eyebrow was anything to go by. Arthur tried not to feel bad at his dig. He was just unused to having a magical Merlin by his side. He cleared his throat. "Do your spell."

Merlin sighed and closed his eyes. _To block the gold from being seen,_ Arthur thought. The warlock's mouth moved in a silent incantation. Merlin's eyes moved behind his eyelids before snapping open, the gold just fading.

"She's this way," Merlin said. "Follow me." Merlin took off at a sprint, ignoring the displeased shouts and mutterings of people around him. Arthur took off after him.

Merlin led him through an open-air shopping strip. On the other side they stopped short as a swirling column of air appeared.

"She's gone," Merlin said.

"Damn it," Arthur hissed. "Where is she now?"

Merlin closed his eyes and did the spell again. Eyes opening, he turned tail and ran the way they had come. Arthur followed close behind.

* * *

Reanna turned a corner and ran straight into a large column of wind. She gasped as a strong hand grabbed her arm. She was pulled into the space between two buildings, a BBQ joint to her left and a spice shop to her right. Whoever had hold of her slammed her against the wall, causing her to see stars as her head cracked against the brick wall.

"Merlin?" a female voice hissed.

Reanna's eyes widened and she began to feel the first stirrings of panic. "I'm not Merlin," she said, realizing too late she probably should've asked who Merlin was instead.

"Who are you?"

Reanna looked into the light green eyes of Morgana Pendragon, High Priestess of the Old Religion. The eyes that stared back at her weren't the eyes of a crazed witch hell-bent on killing people. Instead, Reanna saw the frightened eyes of a confused woman.

"Unhand her!" Gwaine shouted. He put his sword up to the neck of the woman holding Reanna. _Morgana,_ her brain supplied. Reanna was beginning to panic. Being in this situation sent her mind back to a time where she had been held in a similar position.

 _Calm down,_ she berated herself. She took a deep breath.

"Oh, Sir Gwaine," Morgana whispered. "How lovely to see you. Is this your newest… conquest?" she asked disdainfully, eyes Reanna. "Isn't she a little young for you?"

Gwaine reddened and choked on air. "Of course not!" he protested. "Now let her go before I run you through." He brought his sword to rest in the space between Morgana's shoulder and neck. Eyes flicking over her, Reanna was released from the witch's hold. She quickly went to stand behind Gwaine, who moved slightly in front of her.

Morgana stood there, eyes still fixed on Reanna, who was thoroughly creeped out. Morgana was staring at her like she was an oasis in the desert. Gwaine stepped completely in front of Reanna, cutting off Morgana's view of her.

"You are going to come with us," Gwaine said. "Quietly, and with no magic. You will not touch or harm anyone. Understand?" His sword arm quivered. Reanna knew he was suppressing all urges to run Morgana through. It wouldn't work, of course. Only Excalibur could kill Morgana. But Gwaine didn't know that.

Reanna stiffened as a hand closed over her mouth and nose. She tensed, ready to punch. She stopped as a voice whispered in her ear, "Come with me or I will kill the knight."

Reanna debated fighting, but she felt the strong magic emanating from the man behind her. His magic was much stronger than hers, although not as strong as her father's. She nodded minutely.

In front of her, Gwaine was getting impatient. "Answer me!" he barked.

"I don't think so," she said lightly, smirking. Her eyes flashed gold and Gwaine went flying into the wall. He slid to the ground, unconscious.

Morgana stalked over to where Reanna was being held. Her eyes no longer held a frightened look. _She must be a good actress then,_ Reanna thought. "Well done, Mordred," she crowed. Reanna's eyes widened. It was _Mordred_ holding her?

The witch leaned forward and stroked what she could touch of Reanna's cheek. Mordred had loosened his hand now that Gwaine was down for the count. Morgana grabbed her chin roughly. "I think we're going to have so much fun together," she said. Reanna started to thrash.

 _Dad!_ Reanna screamed in her mind, Morgana rearing away in shock. _Help! I'm being held by Mordr-_

Reanna went limp as Mordred's hand hit her temple.

* * *

Merlin stopped running abruptly. Arthur crashed into him. "What is it?" he asked urgently.

"That was Reanna," Merlin whispered.

"What was Reanna?"

"In my head," Merlin said. "Mordred's got her."

Arthur stared. "What?" In their haste he had completely banished the other wizard from his head.

Merlin stared ahead, eyes glazed over. He appeared to be deep in thought.

"Merlin!" Arthur called, shaking him. Merlin snapped out of his trance a moment later.

"That was Morgana in my head," he responded to Arthur's questioning look. "She says they've got Reanna and have transported her to an empty warehouse about twenty miles from here. That must be where they are headquartered. They want us to come. She wants you in exchange for Reanna."

"I'm not going to let that happen," Arthur said lowly. "We need to go rescue her."

Merlin nodded, skin pale. "Yes," he agreed. "I'll go get the car. You round up the others. Tell Gwen and Ciaran to stay here. We might need their help in case this goes south."

Arthur bobbed his head. "They might not like that." He could definitely imagine his great-times-something grandson making a fuss at being left behind, especially if it involves Reanna in some way.

"So don't tell them, then!" Merlin snapped. Arthur was taken aback by his friend's tone. _But then,_ he supposed, _the man who killed me now has his daughter. Of course he's tense._

"Are you good to go with us, Merlin?" he asked, just to be sure.

"I'll be fine." Merlin sighed. "Come on, we can't waste any more time."

* * *

The next hour and a half was a blur of confusion for Arthur.

Before climbing out of the car after a tense ride to where Reanna was being held, Merlin turned to the gathered knights. "We need a plan that everyone agrees on," he said, looking at Arthur. "What should we do?"

Arthur thought for a moment. He had made his decision while they were following Morgana and Glasses. Speaking of him… _where'd he go?_ Arthur thought. "Morgana wants me in exchange for Reanna. So we're going to rescue her and I'm going to kill Morgana," he stated. "We have to think of the world and not our feelings on the matter. If Morgana – and Mordred by extension – are allowed to live then they will terrorize the world. History _will_ repeat itself and I won't let that happen to innocent people. I wish there was another way, but I just don't see one." He had been too complacent in his war against Morgana in the past. Too many times she had slipped through his fingers. Arthur swore that he wouldn't let it happen now.

Merlin nodded. "I agree. Does anybody say nay?" Nobody did.

"So it's settled, then," Arthur said. "Lancelot, Percival, I want you both to search for Reanna. Split up, it's a big building. Merlin - " the warlock looked about ready to protest, "Merlin, I know you want to search for your daughter, but I need you with me to find Morgana. Your magic will be useful against her. The rest of you, search for Mordred and Glasses. We know Mordred is here, but I want to know just who it is that is helping them." Arthur looked around at the knights surrounding him. These were the men that had stayed with him no matter the bad decisions and mistakes he had made. "Good luck men."

They climbed out of the car and clasped each other forearms. Arthur tried not to think of this as going to battle. Instead, he viewed this as the start of a golden age, provided everything goes well.

Bringing out his sword, Arthur led them to the edge of the building.

* * *

Reanna was thinking about every show she'd ever watched where someone got kidnapped. Of course, they didn't tend to have magic that was being blocked from use, but the principal is still the same.

What do they do? What do they say? What do they not say? How do they get out alive?

That was her main priority at the moment: staying alive, without the use of her magic, which she figured was going to be pretty hard to do judging by the predatory look Mordred was giving her. It was creeping her out.

"Did you want something?" she snapped, pulling at the ropes he had used to tie her to a wooden chair.

"Maybe," Mordred answered. "I'm just trying to imagine Merlin as a father. When he brought me to the Lady Morgana as a child, he seemed very incompetent when caring for children. Or in caring for anyone, really. His healing skills were appalling. The intent was there, yes, but he made it worse."

Mordred came and stood in front of Reanna's chair. He crouched down to her level. "You look very much like him. Same hair, same face shape. Same magic. But there's a difference. Not your eyes, silly girl," Mordred snapped as she opened her mouth. He leaned closer to her, so close that their mouths were almost touching. Reanna leaned away as far as she could. "Something tells me you are not like him at all," Mordred whispered. He went back to leaning on the wall and staring at her.

Reanna had had guys stare at her before, but none of them had made her feel as uncomfortable as Mordred had.

"Why did you join Morgana in the first place?" She knew the reason, of course, but she wanted to hear it from the man himself.

Mordred was silent for so long that Reanna thought he wasn't going to answer. "Arthur put my love to death. I hated him."

Reanna noticed the use of past tense. "Hated him?" she repeated. "Do you not now?"

"Even if I didn't, why would I tell you?" Mordred spit.

"Arthur gave her a choice, you know," Reanna said. "Kara."

Mordred's eyes hardened. "What are you saying?"

"She was on trial for murder not, not magic," Reanna said. "Arthur gave her a chance at freedom but she was so set in her ways that she rejected him. Arthur didn't want to kill her but she gave him no choice."

"You lie!" Mordred shouted, but he looked contemplative.

"Why would I?'' Mordred said nothing.

She was trying to think of something else biting to say to him when Morgana stalked in the room, followed by Glasses. Reanna still didn't know who he was. She had observed him checking the time on an iPhone, so she was fairly confident that he was from the modern age. Glasses walked to the back of the warehouse and disappeared into the shadows.

"Your father is on his way here," Morgana said, smirking. "I asked for my worthless brother in exchange for your freedom. I've made Merlin choose between his daughter and his best friend. Let's see what choice he makes, shall we?" She smiled, but it looked more like she was baring her teeth. "What do you think, Mordred? Which decision will the fearless Merlin make?" she mocked, smirking.

"Arthur," Mordred stated. "Merlin would sacrifice anything or anyone if it meant saving Arthur."

"I think you're right." Morgana joined Mordred against the wall.

"Why are you doing this?" Reanna asked, thankful they hadn't gagged her. "Why can't you turn over a new leaf? You've been given a second chance, for God's sake!"

"Why?" Morgana taunted. "Why? I want Arthur dead!" she shouted.

"There is no Camelot for you to rule after his death," Reanna said forcefully. "Camelot fell over a thousand years ago! What do you stand to gain from killing him _now_?"

"I could have the world at my feet if I wanted," Morgana said. "In Camelot people were scared of me because of my magic - "

"And you think now is any better?" Reanna yelled. "We all live in fear. No one knows magic exists. If we were found out we'd be experimented on!"

Morgana looked on in disinterest. "I've changed my mind," she said.

"What do you mean?" Mordred asked.

"Kill her," she commanded softly. Reanna's heart stopped.

"No, wait!" she shouted. "Please!"

"No," Mordred said. "I don't think so."

* * *

"And you think now is any better? If anything it's worse. We all live in fear. No one knows magic exists. If we were found out we'd be experimented on!"

Arthur jerked his head to the sound of Reanna's voice. He signaled to Lancelot and Percival to go that way.

"No, wait! Please!" Reanna shouted, fear lacing her voice.

* * *

"What?" Morgana asked. "Kill her, Mordred! I want her head on a stick!"

"No, Morgana," Mordred said softly. He unsheathed his sword.

* * *

Merlin sprinted toward the sound of Reanna's voice. Gwaine followed him, sword drawn.

"Merlin, no!" Arthur whispered-shouted.

* * *

Reanna watched, eyes wide, as Mordred advanced on Morgana. The witch barked a spell which should've sent Mordred flying, but he raised shield against her. His eyes flashed, wind swirling throughout the room as anger bubbled to the surface. His spell held her in place.

Eyes gold, Mordred shouted, "You lied to me, Morgana. You said Arthur killed Kara without a trial. You lied!"

"Mordred, stop," Morgana commanded. Her eyes flashed momentarily, going gold before fading to her normal pale green.

"I don't think so." Mordred stopped in front of Morgana and forcefully drove his sword through her stomach.

* * *

Arthur followed Merlin and Gwaine, not hearing if the others were following him. Weaving his way through metal columns and debris on the floor, Arthur soon came across Merlin, stopped and staring at the scene unfolding in front of him.

The area was full of wind, and inside of the gale Mordred could be seen advancing on Morgana, sword at the ready. Behind them, Reanna was tied to a chair.

Mordred stabbed Morgana and she fell, turning into dust as she hit the floor.

* * *

Mordred pulled his sword out and Morgana fell to the ground, already dead. As she hit the ground she exploded into millions of dust particles, which were quickly spread throughout the warehouse due to Mordred's dying wind.

 _For you are dust, and to dust you shall return,_ Reanna thought.

* * *

"Mordred," Arthur said breathlessly.

Merlin rushed forward. Mordred flinched and raised his sword, but the warlock went right past him. He dropped to his knees in front of Reanna and used his magic to cut the ropes binding her, before wrapping his arms around his daughter. Gwaine walked over to the pair.

"This is my fault," the knight said.

Arthur regarded Mordred suspiciously. He killed Morgana, saving Arthur the guilt, but that didn't mean he was trustworthy.

* * *

"Dad," Reanna whispered as she was embraced by her father.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I know you didn't want her to die."

"This is my fault," Gwaine said, joining them.

"No, it's not," she reassured him. "If I didn't go with them, then she was going to kill you, Gwaine. I couldn't let that happen." She smiled at the rogue knight.

"Don't do anything to Mordred," she said. "I think he can be talked around." Gwaine retreated, hopefully bringing her message to Arthur.

"Dad, you can let go now," she said. He sat back, face wet from tears. "While here, I realized there was no way Morgana was going to change. Mordred though, I don't think he ever agreed with Morgana; he just wanted to avenge Kara's death." Merlin said nothing.

She got up and went over to where Arthur was standing with the knights. Arthur pulled her into a hug and the others joined in. She was surprised; group hugs didn't seem to be their thing.

Pulling away, Arthur looked at Mordred. He was slumped, looking at the spot where Morgana had fallen.

"Mordred?" Reanna called, also looking at the young druid.

Mordred slowly turned his head. He dropped his sword to the floor. It clanged as it hit the cement. His eyes filled with tears as he looked at Arthur.

"I'm sorry," Mordred said, dropping to his knees. "For everything. Forgive me."

* * *

"I'm sorry. For everything. Forgive me."

Arthur stared. Whatever happened in the last hour had changed the man completely.

When no response came forth, Mordred lowered his head. "Kill me, then," he said despondently. That broken sentence made Arthur's verdict for him.

"I'm not going to kill you," Arthur said. "I can't forgive you yet, but maybe we can start here." Arthur walked up to him and offered him a hand up. Mordred took it and stood. They stood there, two men who had killed each other, a thousand years on, arm clasped in arm. Arthur looked back to his knights. They looked shocked. _Quite appropriately,_ Arthur thought, smirking to himself.

Mordred stared at Arthur. _Thank you,_ the Druid said inside his head.

"You're welcome," Arthur whispered. He dropped Mordred's arm.

Arthur wasn't sure what was going to happen next. He didn't know what the outcome of his decision will be. All he does know is that for too long he has lived with this boy as his enemy.

It's time to turn over a new leaf. A second chance, as Reanna would say.

Arthur decided there was some truth to her words after all.

 **I think I have one last chapter after this. It's been a fun ride, y'all. I switched perspective a lot in this chapter so if anyone is confused just ask and I'll explain what happened.**


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